


Station to Station

by Papperchains



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Developing Friendships, Falling In Love, Getting to Know Each Other, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Anxiety, Minor Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol, Minor Injuries, Multiple Universes, Mystery, Sharing a Bed, Spirit World, Strangers to Lovers, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:29:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 34,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26025004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Papperchains/pseuds/Papperchains
Summary: There was always something very odd about traveling in the middle of the night — a strange muddling of times, locations. Lights dancing distortedly across your vision, like a man made meteor shower. Late night (or early morning) train journeys existed solely in this kind of liminal atmosphere. Creating it, thriving within it. And sometimes, just sometimes, losing itself completely.Alternatively: Jongin and Kyungsoo find themselves on a midnight train going anywhere... and what awaits them is an adventure like no other — full of mystery, love, and the desperate need to get back to reality.
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Kim Jongin | Kai
Comments: 18
Kudos: 34
Collections: EXOventure Round 1 2020





	1. Midnight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: M038
> 
> Hi this is my first time taking part in a fic fest, and I am so excited to finally get this posted!! 
> 
> As soon as I read Prompt: M038, I just knew I had to write it, it was so exciting and interesting that the words came almost instantly. So, thank you to the prompter, I hope I did your prompt justice!! 
> 
> Thank you to the mods for working so hard over these past few months!! 
> 
> And thank you to my beta for helping me as always and listening to me ramble about ideas and plot!! Any other mistakes are my own~~ 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!

The time was exactly midnight. The witching hour, as Jongin’s mother used to say; tucking her son into bed with a kiss, and a warning of not to be awake for too long. 

It was Thursday— or Friday morning now, if you were being technical — and the train that Jongin had been waiting for, was running late. 

Letting out a huff of air, he leant himself back against the station wall, eyes un-focusing, as tendrils of white steam left his mouth before disappearing into the night. 

Waiting for the last train home, at midnight, was not very high up on his bucket list, especially not in bitter January. However, needs must, and his boss had practically _begged_ him to stay and help out at work that evening. He had almost refused, tempted to make up some excuse to get him out of it, but then again, the overtime pay _would_ be nice, and, if Jongin was being honest, he could _really_ do with a small financial boost right about now. So, against his better judgment, he had stayed. Watching as his usual shift end came and went, hours dragging on like days, until he’d been blissfully dismissed for the night. 

The time on the blinking clock ticked over to one minute past midnight. Jongin sighed. 

Feeling restless, or maybe in the need of something to keep himself awake, he began to pace the platform — footsteps echoing in the almost empty station. Besides him, there was a small group of teenagers, one or two older looking businessmen, a woman talking loudly on her phone, and a young man — probably around his age — sitting on the bench to his side. 

Their eyes had met briefly, when Jongin entered the platform; polite smiles shared, before gazes had been darted away once more. A train station at midnight was hardly the time or place to be socialising with strangers — even if this stranger was annoyingly attractive, with a stupidly captivating smile. He was dressed in a simple suit (not dissimilar to Jongin’s own), black hair neat and short, hands stuffed deep within his trouser pockets. His more formal appearance, and bordering on weary expression, suggesting that he too was heading home after a long day at the office — Jongin, for one, could definitely sympathise. 

In a hope to pass the time, he allowed himself to zone out; mind temporarily distracted by the image of heart shaped lips and well tailored suits, and not noticing, _until it was far too late_ , that he’d hooked his foot up on something as he strode forward. He stumbled clumsily, eyes widening as he felt his body begin to crash dizzyingly downwards. 

“Hey,” A low voice cut him out of his helpless flail, arms reaching out to steady him, before any damage could be done, “you alright?” 

At the question, Jongin snapped back to attention, instantly coming face to face with Mr Heart-shaped-lips himself. “I’m fine, sorry about that,” Jongin dismissed, “must have tripped over something…” 

“Yeah, that would be my bag…” 

“Oh,” he blinked, eyes darting down to where his feet were in fact caught in the straps of a black backpack. “Sorry.” He repeated, at a loss of what else to say. 

As the words left his mouth, the last thing he expected was the stranger to chuckle. A soft, melodic sound slipping from his plush lips, and greeting Jongin’s ears. He held his breath, as if any other noise might ruin the moment. “Don’t sweat it,” the stranger shrugged, “Just try not to injure yourself, yeah? Wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to that face of yours.” He finished with a wink — action catching Jongin completely off guard. 

“Yeah,” he couldn’t help but let slip a laugh of his own, scratching his neck awkwardly out of habit. “Thank you…?” He hesitated, realising he had no way of addressing the other man. 

“Kyungsoo,” the stranger offered in reply.

“Ah well, thank you, Kyungsoo, for stopping me from falling and making a scene.” He finished, standing straight, before bowing politely towards him. 

“You’re welcome—”

“Jongin,” Jongin filled in. 

“Jongin.” Kyungsoo repeated, allowing the syllables to role easily off his tongue, as if committing them to memory. Their eyes met once more, a strange spark of intrigue passing between them; the want to continue this conversation elsewhere, coming to the forefront of Jongin’s mind.

He was about to open his mouth, say something to change the subject, or lead them on to deeper topics, when the train, _bordering on very late now_ , chose that _very_ moment to pull into the station — shrill screech of the brake drowning out any other noise around them. 

Across from him, Kyungsoo seemed to speak — mouth moving, but words lost to the almost deafening sound. 

“What?” Jongin questioned, watching as yet another heart-shaped smile adorned Kyungsoo’s face. 

He raised his voice: “I said: after you.” 

Instead of replying with something funny or flirty, like his brain so desperately wanted him to, Jongin settled on one last polite smile, and another fast bow, turning away from Kyungsoo, and quickly settling himself into one of the many empty seats. 

With the lack of people waiting at the station, it wasn’t at all long before the train was setting off once more. Gentle hum starting up as the vehicle picked up speed. 

The carriage, positioned in the middle of the train, was one of the busier ones (if five people and a baby, could be counted as busy). Jongin took the seat closest to the door, settling into the narrow chair, eyes gazing straight ahead. Ahead, and directly onto where Kyungsoo had chosen to sit. 

The other man caught his eye once again, smiling softly, before pulling his phone from his pocket and beginning to type. Next to him, the seat was empty — a tempting sight. After all, this might be the perfect opportunity to get to know him a little better. 

Considering this for a moment, Jongin shook his head: _no,_ he shouldn’t. Kyungsoo was obviously exhausted, if the way he stifled a yawn behind his hand, before rubbing wearily at his eyes was anything to go by, and in all honesty, so was he. It had been a long day, and right then Jongin could barely concentrate on keeping himself upright, never mind actually holding a full conversation. 

He allowed himself one last look, gazing over the man’s appearance and lingering once more on those perfect lips, before forcing his eyes away. Some things just weren’t meant to be, and this, unfortunately, was one of them. 

***

It was around the twenty minute mark of the journey, that Jongin began to doze off: heavy eyelids slipping shut, and foggy brain threatening to switch off. His body was practically curled in on itself by this point, neck craned awkwardly to rest against the cool windowpane — hardly a comfortable pillow, but it would do. After all, he’d be home soon enough. 

There was a deep ache in his bones, the type that would only go away after a few hours of good sleep. The rattling carriage did little to help, bouncing him slightly as he attempted to get even somewhat comfortable, in the annoyingly _un_ comfortable seats. 

***

There was always something very odd about traveling in the middle of the night — a strange muddling of times, locations. Lights dancing distortedly across your vision, like a man made meteor shower. Late night (or early morning) train journeys existed solely in this kind of liminal atmosphere. Creating it, thriving within it. And sometimes, just sometimes, losing itself completely.

***

Jongin’s light doze came to an abrupt end, almost before it had even started — train, giving an unnaturally violent _jolt_ as it entered a tunnel.

The lights flickered. Each empty car plunging into pitch black shadow, before resuming its usual artificial brightness.

Rudely awoken by the shock, Jongin sat up. Sudden buzz of adrenaline forcing him out of the blanket of sleep and into reality, as his eyes scanned around the aisle. 

By the look of things, he was the only person left on the train. 

_Well_ … him, and the man from before — Kyungsoo — who didn’t seem at all bothered by the bumpy ride or minor power outage, glancing briefly up from his phone, before zoning back into whatever he had been reading before. 

_Obviously,_ it was nothing to worry about. 

Glancing down at his watch, Jongin’s tired eyes flicked over the time: 00:29, read the little digital numbers. _Good_ , he thought letting out a long yawn, his stop was only a station away. 

Deciding that there was no point in trying to fall asleep again, Jongin busied himself with gazing out the window — watching, without much concentration, as the lights of the city seemed to fade out: becoming sparser, dimmer, as if the suburbs surrounding Seoul where also experiencing electricity shortages. 

Sure, it seemed a bit weird, but Jongin had learnt not to questing things too deeply. City life was like that: things could feel a little strange from time to time, but chances were it wasn't anything to worry about. Besides, it was a lot easier to just go with the flow than dig into every anomaly. 

Which was why, when the train ground to a stop a good five minutes before it was due to, the only thing that drew Jongin’s attention to the not-quite-right-ness of the situation, was when the station announcement board glitched off, before a set of bright white letters appeared on the screen. 

TERMINATED. 

Now that _definitely_ wasn’t right. 

Across from him, Kyungsoo leant forward in his chair, tapping expectantly on his phone screen. “What the—?” He questioned, looking up and towards Jongin, “My phone just died.” His words sounded more like a plea than a complaint, as if he believed Jongin, of all people, would be able to magically remedy this problem. 

In all honesty, Jongin wasn’t really listening to the other man’s concerns, currently much more preoccupied with his own, “Oh,” he mumbled intelligently, eyes still fixated on the big, bold TERMINATED, that had appeared on not one, but all the visible screens in the train. 

Following his line of sight, Kyungsoo turned in the same direction; instantly forgetting about his phone malfunction, as he also read the word on the screen. “What the—?” He repeated, standing quickly from his seat, as if that would help him make sense of the less than normal situation. 

Naturally, the doors of the train chose that moment to open — sliding mechanism grinding slightly as the new platform was presented to them. 

“This isn’t my stop.” Kyungsoo stated. 

“Nor mine.” Jongin agreed. 

Neither one of them moved. The doors stayed open, the TERMINATED signs stayed on, the train didn’t budge. 

“Do they…do they want us to get off?” Jongin found himself questioning, after a few long seconds of silence had passed. 

“Surely not?” Dismissed Kyungsoo. 

Still, the train showed no sign of moving. 

“Then again,” He muttered, stepping away from his chair and beginning to walk towards the compartment doors. 

Mouth gaping slightly, Jongin stood to stop him, hands moving to clutch at his arm: “You can’t seriously be thinking of going out there, right? I mean, is this even a real station? I’ve never seen the train stop here before.” He argued. It was true: in all his years travelling to and from the city centre, on his daily commute, not _once_ had he noticed this particular stop. For starters, it was too green; the platform shrouded in foliage, with one lone streetlight casting mottled yellow shadows onto the concrete. On top of that, it seemed to be positioned in the middle of nowhere — Jongin wasn’t even sure this could be counted as a station, the size much more resembling something you might find deep in the countryside rather than on the outskirts of a major city. 

“Well…” for a moment, Kyungsoo sounded unsure of himself — clearing his throat before he continued, “uh, it shouldn’t be too far away from a main street, right? I mean, we could always split a taxi home or something…” 

“Ah,” that… wasn’t a half bad idea. In fact, it made perfect sense. Kyungsoo was probably right: they wouldn’t be far from civilisation. It shouldn’t be at all hard to get transportation from there. And hey, on the plus side, they may even get a chance to chat some more — laugh about how _crazy_ this whole journey had been — maybe get to know each other a little better, _if they were lucky_. “Yeah, okay.” He eventually agreed, following Kyungsoo’s lead, as the other man took a semi confident step onto the platform. 

Of course, the moment they began to walk away, things had to go and get a whole lot weirder: the train doors sealing themselves and engines once again starting. As if it really had been waiting for them to leave, all this time. 

“Hey! Wait—” Kyungsoo called out, rushing back to the doors as the train began to move slowly away. 

“You have _got_ to be kidding me?” Jongin didn’t hesitate before joining in the chase, attempting to run alongside the train while banging repetitively against its metal exterior. 

Plumes of white engulfed them — clouding their vision, and making it almost impossible to see. 

As the air cleared, their complaints also died down, both men standing side by side with mirrored expressions of disbelief. “I don’t recall it being a steam train…” Kyungsoo admitted. 

“Me neither.” Jongin agreed watching as the now-steam-train continued off down the track, marking its way with a constant stream of pure white clouds. 

Thoroughly weirded out by the whole situation, he began to look around, trying to make sense of the area they had been left in. “I don’t recognise this place.” He mumbled, more to himself than anyone, pulling out his own phone and preparing to open up maps. Unfortunately, there was one crucial flaw to his plan: “My phone’s dead?” 

“Yours too?” 

“But, that doesn't make any sense,” Jongin shook his head, “It was—”

“—Fully charged?” Kyungsoo cut in, “Yeah, so was mine.” 

“What, I don’t understand?” Jongin complained, “Maybe there’s... there’s some nationwide glitch, or some network problem or, or—” he knew he was grasping at straws by this point, trying to explain the unexplainable as best as he could, “I don’t know,” he ran a hand through his hair, “it’s got to be something, right?” 

Kyungsoo, looking as confused as Jongin felt, just shrugged back: “I guess.” 

_Now what?_ An uneasy silence began to settle around them, the kind of quiet that only formed when two strangers were attempting to work together — this time, with the added difficulty of being seemingly _stuck_ in a less than ideal situation. 

It was dark. 

It was cold. 

And they had absolutely no idea where they were. 

Just as Jongin was thinking this, mind spiralling into a minor panic, a dim street light across the tracks illuminated itself. Then another. Then another. Setting off what looked to be a chain reaction of light, leading off into the distance and down a rather narrow pathway.

“Okay,” Kyungsoo chuckled — not the low smooth chuckle that Jongin had heard before, but a dry, nervous sound that perfectly represented Jongin’s own emotions, “can’t say I like the look of that.” Still, as he spoke, he began to manoeuvre himself off the platform, dropping nimbly onto the tracks and stepping carefully towards the light. 

“What are you doing now?” Jongin whined, shuffling anxiously from foot to foot, while he watched with bated breath as Kyungsoo reached the other side of the line. 

“I don’t know,” the other man admitted, “but we’ve got to start somewhere.” 

He was right, _of course_ _he was right_. Wherever the hell they were, and whatever was happening, these lights were leading them somewhere. Besides, electricity could only mean one thing: civilisation. 

Despite every sane nerve in his body telling him it wasn’t a good idea, Jongin took a deep breath before creeping down onto the tracks — making sure not to touch anything that could still be live, before hurrying over to where Kyungsoo was waiting. 

“You okay?” The other man checked, for the second time that evening, tentatively resting a hand against his arm as Jongin gripped a little too tightly onto his suit jacket. 

“Define ‘okay’.” 

Kyungsoo smiled: a sight that was obviously meant to reassure Jongin. “We’ll be fine,” he stated, “I’ve heard about this kind of thing before — it happens when the train runs into technical difficulties. To make sure the main lines don’t get disrupted, they sometimes have to make detours and empty people out on quiet or disused stations. We won’t be far away from other people.” He explained, the confidence in his voice managing to calm Jongin somewhat. 

“Okay?” Despite some of the worry leaving his system, Jongin still wasn’t convinced, “But what about the steam train? Surely that’s not what you’d call ‘normal’…” 

“True.” Kyungsoo nodded, “But let’s not jump to conclusions, yeah? It’s dark out, so who knows if what we saw was actually real, or more of an optical illusion. Chances are there was never any steam train to begin with.” 

Hearing the more logical answer, Jongin let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding, biting hard onto the inside of his cheek before nodding: “Alright, let's get moving.” 

***

The path the lights lined was long and narrow. Twisting and turning through trees, passed overgrown fields, and over small streams or narrow rivers. Occasionally, they’d pass shrines or statues — covered in constrictive weeds and left in crumbling despair. It was almost haunting to see, the kind of thing they’d grown up hearing about in fairytales. The kind of thing that automatically sent a shiver down Jongin’s spine. Long forgotten by the locals and left to fade away, back into the undergrowth. 

It was quiet on the path, too quiet. No noise pollution from the city, no rustling of animals or distant people. Just Jongin’s shallow breathing and pounding heart to fill the silence. He didn’t like this, _he didn’t like this at all._

Kyungsoo, on the other hand, seemed quite calm. Walking with ease and even stopping to pay respects to some of the shrines they passed, as if he’d come all this way to the overgrown walkway, specifically for the chance to pray. 

“How are you so calm?” Jongin questioned, after what felt like too much silence had passed. 

Turning to face him, Kyungsoo shrugged: “I like walking at night.” 

“I hate it.” countered Jongin. 

Kyungsoo didn’t seem to mind his grumbling, letting out another laugh and giving him a comforting squeeze on the arm, “I have to ask then, if you don’t mind of course: why are you out so late?” 

“Work,” Jongin supplied, “on any normal day I’d be in bed by now, but no, _oh no_ , my boss wanted to get everything sorted for the big meeting before tomorrow.” He sighed. 

“What do you do?” 

Another sigh, “I’m in finance… what about you?” 

“Security.’ _Oh_ , that would at least explain his seemingly laidback reaction to this situation. He probably had to deal with a lot of weird stuff on a daily basis. “I don’t usually do the late shift, but I also don’t mind when I have to.” 

“Security? Wow.” 

“You sound surprised.” 

“Well,” Jongin thought about it for a second, “I don’t know that I’m surprised, but, I have to say, it wasn’t really what I was expecting. You just seem so—”

“—Short?” 

“No!” Jongin spluttered, “I was going to say kind…” 

“Well,” Kyungsoo laughed, “being kind and approachable has its benefits in a job like mine. Although that doesn't mean I always am.” As he spoke, his eyes narrowed into a piercing glare, turning the once calm expression into one that would frighten even the toughest of people. 

“Okay, okay I see your point, please _never_ look at me like that again.” Jongin pleaded, slapping Kyungsoo gently on the arm, until his face had once again reverted to the brilliant smile he had grown so used to seeing. 

“Whatever you say, Jongin.” He laughed, before quickly changing the conversation. “How long have we been walking, by the way?” 

“I’m not sure,” Jongin admitted, in fact, he had absolutely no idea just how long it had been since they set off. If he was to guess, he’d say it felt like nearing thirty minuets by now. But then again, maybe it was coming up to an hour… hour and a half? He raised his watch, eyes gazing down onto where the numbers were always glowing and— “hang on,” he shook his head, “that’s not possible.” 

Stopping, Kyungsoo turned towards him once again, “What’s not possible?” He asked, trying to get a look at Jongin’s wrist. 

“Um,” Jongin started, sounding very unsure of himself, “my watch must be broken as well.” 

“What?” 

“Well, it’s just, the last time I looked, it was twenty-nine minutes past midnight and…” 

“And?” 

“Uh, well, it hasn’t changed…” 

Staring in disbelief. Kyungsoo reached for his wrist, pulling it gently towards him and reading the time: the numbers 00:29, blinked patronisingly back at him. “…Okay, there's got to be another way of working it out then…” He seemed to think about this for a moment, letting go of Jongin’s arm, and looking up towards the sky, “I wish we could at least see the moon… I mean, it's bright enough… and clear enough, but I can’t spot it anywhere — it would help with navigation.” 

“Yeah,” Jongin agreed, eyes also trailing over the empty expanse of sky, “the moon, or stars… or light pollution, or anything…” He trailed off, feeling the panic he’d been so desperately trying to suppress rise within him once more, heart beating harshly in his chest as the foreboding sense of being lost, trickled down his spine like an icy drip of sweat. 

“Hey, it’s alright,” Kyungsoo spoke, “we need to stay calm, I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for all of this… we just need to keep walking.” 

Taking a deep breath, Jongin forced himself to relax, “Okay.” 

Noting the obvious reluctance in his voice, Kyungsoo reached out his hand, linking it easily with Jongin’s as he once again began to lead them down the twisting path. His hand was soft, but noticeably calloused. A strange juxtaposition that seemed to fit perfectly with Kyungsoo himself. Jongin found himself squeezing a little tighter, taking comfort in the warmth that seemed to radiate out of Kyungsoo as he did so. 

They walked like this for some time, Jongin slowly but surely becoming more accustomed to the low light and unnerving location. He could do this, he could get through this. After all, he had Kyungsoo by his side. 

After what could have easily been an hour, the pathway opened up, undergrowth thinning out and revealing what could almost look like an old bus stop. There was a small wooden shelter, decorated in a chipped plaster-red paint with a concrete bench positioned inside. There were no signs, no roads, no other buildings positioned around it. Just the little stop, and yet another low glowing light. 

Sharing a glance, the two men made their way towards it, parting briefly in order to fully investigate. “Weird,” Jongin mumbled, “it looks like something you might see in an old photograph.” 

The stop was fairly used, the once overgrown path becoming scuffed with footsteps, and plants seeming more controlled. “This is good.” Kyungsoo decided, visibly relaxing at the first sign of life they had come across in _who knows how long,_ “I bet there will be a village or a farm around here somewhere. We’ll be able to get directions then.”

As if on queue, as they turned away from the shelter, a figure of a man seemed to appear in the distance, “Perfect!” Kyungsoo exclaimed, “Let's ask him.” With that, he rushed off down the path calling out a polite, “Excuse me, sir.” and leaving Jongin to hesitate behind him. 

Something didn’t feel right about this… 

Throughout the duration of the walk, it had been so quiet that Jongin’s ears had been straining to hear absolutely anything — acutely attuned to the very slightest of movements. Therefore, surely he wouldn’t have missed the man’s approach? His footsteps alone, should have been enough to notify the two of them straight away. And yet, they hadn’t heard a thing: not a crunch of leaves, or snapping of twigs, not a single sign that the other person had ever arrived. 

If Kyungsoo noticed this, he chose to ignore it, continuing his pursuit with a raised voice “Sir, would you mind showing us the way out of here… Sir?” He stopped. From where Jongin was standing he could no longer see the man they had been chasing — figure fading into the forest as quickly as it had appeared. “Where’d he go?” Kyungsoo questioned, turning slowly in a circle before letting out a deflated sigh, “Come on,” he beckoned Jongin over, “if there was one person, chances are there will be others around.” 

Reluctantly, Jongin continued down the path, relinking their hands as the two of them began their walk once more. 

***

Just as Kyungsoo had guessed, the further they moved through the forest, the more figures they began to spot. They seemed to materialise out of thin air, fading in and out of reality like low lying mist. None of them paid any attention to either man: ignoring their calls of help or assistance, and continuing on, just out of reach, just out of sight, before they too were fading back into the tree line. They gave the impression of almost gliding as they moved, woodland terrain not seeming to affect them in the least bit — dark not hindering their sight. 

After fifteen minutes or so of chasing different figures, Kyungsoo was beginning to get noticeably agitated: he’d had enough of this nightmare journey and wanted someone to listen. Looking around, he locked his sight on a nearby figure, and set off towards it once again. This one was slower than the others, and slightly hunched over, giving the impression of an elderly lady. 

What an elderly lady was doing out on a woodland walk, in the middle of the night, they weren’t quite sure? But, in a strange situation like this, neither one of them was going to stop and question it. Not if it meant the difference between finding their way out, or staying there for the rest of the night.

“Ma’am,” Kyungsoo called as he began to gain on the figure, reaching out to gently grasp her by the shoulder. 

Except, that wasn’t quite what happened, for as soon as Kyungsoo’s hand made contact with her back, the figure seemed to _ripple_ — his hand passing straight through her in one clean swipe. “Holy _shit_!” He exclaimed, staggering back as he grasped his hand to his chest. 

Without hesitating, Jongin rushed over, reaching Kyungsoo quickly and blocking him from whatever he had just encountered. 

In front of him, the woman stabilised, continuing to walk as if nothing had happened. Jongin felt his eyes widen, heart accelerating wildly. This… _thing_ , _whatever it was_ , could hardly be counted as a person. Face: featureless. Body: translucent. It had been hard to see before, in the low light, but, the figures, or so called people, weren’t so much human at all, but more… _shadow_. As if they were just a mere shell of what a person could be. 

Behind him, Kyungsoo was shaking, breath coming out hard, hand grasping his own wrist, with a white knuckle grip, “I don’t like this,” he shuddered, “I don’t like this at all.” 

At the fear in his voice, Jongin felt himself go tense. Things had been a lot easier when he was the only worried one. But this, this was a situation neither of them would have been able to imagine — even minutes ago. 

Racking his brain for a solution, Jongin grasped hold of Kyungsoo’s arm and took a tentative step down the path, “Let’s…let’s keep going.” He started forward, a strong urgency growing within him to get them as far away from this strange path as he possibly could. However, before he could even get one step further, from their current position, he was stopped — Kyungsoo’s unmoving body keeping them in place. “Come on, we can’t stay here.” He urged, pulling a little firmer.

“I know,” Kyungsoo grunted, “but I,” the words seemed to stick in his throat, trapped on the tip of his tongue, as if saying it out loud would only cement the truth, “I don’t… I don’t think I _can_ move.” 

“What?” Jongin blanched, spinning on his heels and grabbing hold of Kyungsoo by the shoulders. 

“I said: I can’t move.” Kyungsoo clarified, as if that wasn’t obvious. His eyes were screwed shut, hands clenched into fists as he desperately attempted to move himself from the spot he was rooted to. 

Looking around for something, _anything_ that might help them in this situation, Jongin felt his blood run cold. As, situated around the path, and beginning to pen them in, were around ten shadowy figures. Faces: featureless. Bodies: translucent. Slowly but surely closing in around them. 

To make things worse, Jongin watched in horror as the hand that Kyungsoo had passed through the creature took on a more _see-through_ appearance. 

“Kyungsoo,” he croaked, fear well and truly present now, “Kyungsoo, look at me!’ At the urgency in his voice, Kyungsoo’s eyes flew open — locking easily onto Jongin’s own, “I need you to concentrate on moving, okay? Can you do that for me?” 

Kyungsoo nodded stiffly, taking a deep breath and forcing himself to take a step forward. It was a slow start, but a start nonetheless. One step turned into two, two to three, before Kyungsoo was stopping once again. He was panting hard, head hung low, “I can’t.” He muttered in defeat, “Look, I’m slowing you down, just… just go — if you’re fast, you’ll be able to outrun them.”

Without thinking, Jongin shook his head, holding tightly onto Kyungsoo’s wrists and refusing to let go: “That's not going to happen.” He gritted out, hoisting the other man up with an arm around his waist and attempting to move them both out of there, as fast as he could possibly mange. It wasn’t looking very hopeful: a fact Jongin had to admit, as the shadowy figures continued to close in. 

“Chanyeol?” A loud voice boomed out from somewhere to their side. A dazzling light illuminated the path, temporarily blinding them and bleaching the entire woodland in an intense glow, before either of them could react. Jongin felt his knees give way beneath him, trembling under the strain of holding up both Kyungsoo and himself, before the two of them were collapsing in a crumple of limbs. He closed his eyes, holding Kyungsoo in a tight embrace, and readying himself to meet his end, when: “No,” the same voice sighed, “you’re not Chanyeol.” 

Kyungsoo was the first to raise his head, “What the hell?” He breathed, moving slightly to coax Jongin out from the crook of his neck. As soon as he opened his eyes, Jongin understood the other man’s exclamation; a quiet gasp escaping his mouth, as his gaze fell upon the new figure. 

What looked to be a young man, stood before them: hight, similar to Kyungsoo’s, hair a bright white in colour, icy cold expression trained on the two of them. He seemed to be glowing, body radiating the same bright light that had blinded them (and by the looks of things, chased off the shadow creatures) moments before. 

“How did you get here?” The newcomer asked, tone of voice implying that they were, in fact, trespassing on _his_ property _thank you very much_. Then again, with all the weirdness that had gone on that night, Jongin honestly wouldn’t have been surprised if that was the case. 

“Are we dead?” Was all he managed to utter in reply, blinking slowly, as his eyes adjusted to the new brightness. 

In front of them, the glowing man scoffed: “No, you’re not dead, and sorry sweetie, but I’m not some _guardian angel_ that’s here to rescue you.” He folded his arms, “However, answer my question and I might, if you’re lucky, help you anyway.” 

“Uh,” Kyungsoo cleared his throat, “train… our train stopped here, we’ve been walking ever since.” 

At the answer, the strangers eyes lit up — _literally_ , the same white glow that outlined his body, weaving itself into his irises. “Train? Okay, we can work with that.” He mumbled, nodding more to himself than anyone, before sticking his hand out: “Let's start this again: Hi!” He began a little too cheerily, expression changing into something a lot more approachable: “I’m Baekhyun, and you two are my ticket out of here.”

  
  



	2. The First Dawn

Sat on the floor, in a tangle of tired limbs, Jongin and Kyungsoo blinked up at the new arrival; expressions clouding with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. “I’m sorry, what?” Kyungsoo questioned, his words being instantly drowned out by Jongin’s own: 

“What do you mean? _Get you out_? Where even are we?” 

Stood confidently in front of them, Baekhyun simply laughed at their bewilderment, the smile on his face suggesting that he quite liked keeping them guessing, as if the mystery was all part of his plan. “No time to explain right now boys, we’ve gotta get out of here before they come back. Honestly, I’m surprised you managed to survive as long as you did out here in the open. Although…” His eyes zoned in on Kyungsoo’s steadily fading hand, “not without injury, I see.” 

“What—” Baekhyun ignored the second cry of questions, waving dismissively as he scanned his eyes over the general vicinity.

“Enough with the questions.” He shook his head, “If you follow me, I can get you somewhere safe… well, safe-ish.” He explained, beginning to walk away, and only turning back when neither man made a move in the same direction. “Come on!” 

At the instruction, Jongin felt Kyungsoo tense — jaw visibly clenching as he looked up at the expectant Baekhyun. “That’s the problem,” he grit out, “I can’t.” His eyes shot daggered as he spoke, reaction causing Baekhyun to sigh dramatically before retracing his steps back to them. 

“I was afraid that would be the case.” He sympathised, shaking his head while offering his hand. “Sorry,” he apologized, eyes flicking over to Jongin, “but I might need some space, if you don't mind.” 

“Oh…” Jongin mumbled, taking in the way they were huddled for the first time before reluctantly shuffling away. Kyungsoo shared a brief glance with Jongin as he left his side; eyes flicking back towards the outstretched hand with uncertainty.

“Take my hand.” Baekhyun beckoned, “I’m not going to hurt you or anything… trust me, if I wanted to do that, I’d just leave you here.” It wasn’t exactly reassuring, but Kyungsoo accepted it anyway, grasping hold of Baekhyun’s hand and allowing himself to be hauled up. As he stood, a soft light seemed to pass between them — Baekhyun’s glow flickering like a candle in the wind, before fading completely. He looked a lot more normal (and a lot less angelic) like that, standing in slightly rumpled clothing as he continued to eye the pair expectantly. 

The path, on which they where stood, once again fell into darkness; dull streetlights seeming a lot fainter after being exposed to such pure luminosity. 

Once on his feet, Kyungsoo didn't hesitate before taking a step, followed by another, then another — relief spreading across his features as he quickly regained his momentum. He stumbled forward, shaky knees only just holding him up, as he tumbled rather ungracefully into Jongin’s awaiting arms. 

“Oh my god, you’re okay!” Breathed Jongin, gripping Kyungsoo’s arms tightly. 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m okay.” He repeated, sounding almost giddy after what felt like a near death experience. His eyes flicked up, as the two of them regained their breath, allowing themselves to breathe properly for the first time in a while — bright smiles reflecting clearly back at each other. 

“Ahem,” it was the clearing of Baekhyun’s throat that brought them back to the ‘here and now’, snapping them out of their shared laughter, and into the reality of the situation, “hate to break up this intimate moment,” he continued, “but you’re not out of the woods yet… pun not intended.” Neither Kyungsoo or Jongin laughed, “Anyway,” Baekhyun cleared his throat once again, “we’ve really got to get moving.” 

With one last fleeting glance, and a reassuring squeeze to the hand from Kyungsoo, the two men gave a sharp nod, before continuing forward. After all, it was either follow the undeniably strange, but rather helpful Baekhyun, or stay out there and wait for the shadow creatures to return. Jongin for one, knew which option he preferred.

***

Following Baekhyun through a strange, possibly magical forest, in the early hours of the morning, was not something Jongin would be in a hurry to repeat. The strange (possibly magical) man was obviously very familiar with the area, which while extremely helpful, also entailed a lot of weaving their way through thick undergrowth, ducking under low branches, and generally having to run to keep up. 

To put it simply, it was exhausting. 

What little adrenaline had been left from the past however many hours of travel, had pretty much diminished by that point. The sudden lack of energy leaving both men trembling with the effort to keep going. They needed to rest. They needed to sit down and have something to eat, and something to drink, and maybe, if they were really lucky, find somewhere dry to sleep.

After somewhere between a matter of minutes, and possibly hours later, Baekhyun came to a sudden stop, raising his hand and signaling for the group to slow down. They had arrived at the edge of a tree line, hidden by the thick foliage, and gazing out onto what could only be described as a small village. There were dim glowing lights — more so than seen anywhere else in the forest, traditional paper lanterns strung up in trees, small buildings emitting a warm homely glow. The smell of mouth-wateringly good street food floated temptingly through the air. Jongin heard his stomach rumble, while to his side, Kyungsoo licked his lips. 

“The safe house is just through here.” Whispered Baekhyun, pointing through the village, and towards a smaller hut-like structure that could just about be made out between the houses. 

“Why are we waiting?” Questioned Kyungsoo, “No one’s around, let’s make a run for it.” For a moment, it looked as if he was going to make a move, only managing to take half a step forward before Baekhyun was stopping him with an outstretched hand. 

“Look harder.” He instructed. 

As the words left his mouth, Jongin began to notice movement from within the village. Shadows: some more human-like than others, melting out of the buildings, the ground, the hidden corners, and beginning to move freely around the area. Jongin could swear he recognised a few from moments before — the first man? Maybe. The elderly lady? Definitely.

Beside him, Kyungsoo tightened his grip on the steadily fading outline of his hand, attempting to ignore the fact that the other one had begun to disappear as well: “Okay,” he gulped, “what’s the plan then?” 

“Right.” Baekhyun crouched down, picking up a nearby twig and beginning to scour marks into the mud, “So, here’s the thing: from here,” He drew an ‘X’ in the dirt, “to the safe house,” Another ‘X’ was drawn, this time with a line joining the two postions, “is about a hundred meter dash. It’s quickest to go through the village, but safest to take the outskirts. Either way is going to be risky tonight as they are already aware of us.” he continued to explain, finishing off a rough floor plan of the village as he did so. “Chances are you two are pretty exhausted, right?” 

Jongin nodded, while Kyungsoo gave a noncommittal shrug. 

“I’m gonna take that as a yes. Anyway, by myself I’d usually just sneak past them, keep low, keep out of sight before making a run for it. But I’m not sure if this is going to work in this case, and I really don’t want to give away my hideout. This is where my plan comes in:” he stated, glancing back towards the village as if to make sure no one was listening in, “we’re gonna need a decoy.”

As soon as the idea had been suggested, Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes, “What kind of decoy?” he questioned, tone of voice portraying exactly how little trust he had in the other man. 

“Hey, don’t look at me like that.” Argued Baekhyun, raising his hands as a sign of surrender, “Neither of you are gonna be it, if that's what you’re worried about. No,” he shook his head, “I’m talking about this kind of decoy:” As he spoke, the tips of his fingers began to glow, light travelling down until his whole palm was gently illuminated. 

“Ah,” nodded Jongin, “so like, blast them away with the bright light again?” 

“Uh, not quite…” Baekhyun admitted, lowering his hands and watching the light fizzle out once more, “Don’t ask me how it works, but I can only do something like that every once in a while. And, since I also used it to transfer some energy to you,” he nodded in Kyungsoo’s direction, “I’m kinda running low. So instead, here’s what we’re gonna do.” 

  
  


***

Five minutes, and one hushed discussion later, Jongin found himself hunched in a bush on the far edge of the village, Kyungsoo by his side, while they waited for Baekhyun’s signal. 

The plan was simple: Baekhyun would do his usual dash through the village, drawing the shadow creatures towards him, before losing them back in the forest. It would then be up to him to make his way back to the main base — a task he assured would be very easy, for someone like him. In the meantime, all Jongin and Kyungsoo had to do was get themself from A: the tree line they were currently hiding in, to B: the safe house. It sounded easy, and in theory, it should be, however that fact alone didn't put Jongin at ease. After all, there seemed to be a lot of odds against them. 

Before he had time to go into all the ways their plan could go wrong, a soft, white glow, appeared in the center of the square. Baekhyun had started phase one of the plan: gain their attention. This, according to the glowing man, was likely to take a minute or so, as he would have to draw as many creatures as possible towards him, before Jongin and Kyungsoo would even have a remote possibility of making it through unnoticed. 

Holding his breath, Jongin kept perfectly still, listening as Baekhyun called out for the shadows’ attention. “He’s completely fearless,” he whispered, feeling a sense of gratitude towards the other man. 

“Either that, or completely insane.” Kyungsoo muttered back, looking a lot less trusting of their new companion. Jongin couldn't blame him for that, silently agreeing that Baekhyun would definitely have a lot of answering to do… if he managed to make it back alive, that was. 

By that point, the majority of the figures that had been roaming the village had mostly surrounded Baekhyun, circling him until his light was no more than a faint glimmer through the thick ring of shadow. Any moment now, thought Jongn, anticipation rising within him as he prepared to sprint across the village. As if on queue, a bright light shot out of the center of the shadows, not half as bright as before, but still enough to create an opening in the mass of creatures — Baekhyun taking the opportunity to shoot out and speed off into the woods. 

That was it, that was the signal. 

Without waiting a second longer, Jongin grabbed Kyungsoo by the arm and began to run. Together they dashed out from the safety of the bushes, and into the open. Ducking under lanterns, slipping between buildings, and hiding whenever a stray shadow came into view. They worked as a team, the two of them keeping a steady, but fast pace, as they kept an eye on the surrounding area, as well as the place they were heading for. 

With less than ten meters between them and the safe house, the pair picked up speed. Using the last of their energy to propel themselves forward and into the side of the building. 

Before leaving, Baekhyun had slipped Kyungsoo a key. It was small, and gold in colour. Kyungsoo retrieved it from his pocket now, the two of them creeping slowly around the structure until they came to a door. Unlocking it swiftly, they slipped inside, collapsing to the floor as soon as they were out of harm's way. 

“Crap,” Kyungsoo exhaled, “I’m exhausted.” 

“Me too.” Jongin panted, leaning himself against the wooden wall, and wiping a trickle of sweat from his forehead. “What do you think’s gonna happen now?” he couldn't help but question, glancing to his side and taking in Kyungsoo’s appearance. He didn’t look too well: eyes scrunched shut, skin unnaturally pale — a sickly sheen of sweat covering his entire face. It looked as if he was in pain; body tensed as he attempted to keep a hold of himself. 

“I don’t know.” He admitted, cracking an eyelid to address Jongin properly, “Whatever it is, let’s just hope that Baekhyun guy gets back soon. I really don’t want to find out what happens if I fade completely.” 

Jongin hadn’t even considered that, eyes flicking down to where both of Kyungsoo’s hands had faded considerably, since they had first set off running. It seemed to be contained from hand to wrist for now — shimmering grey outline the only visible indicator that they were even there. However, it probably wouldn't be long before the translucence began to spread further. By the looks of things, Kyungsoo was using all the energy he could muster up to delay this from happening. Jongin swallowed anxiously, feeling helpless to the situation, and unsure just how long Kyungsoo could keep going. 

Crawling towards him, Jongin took one of his hands, studying it briefly before checking over the other one. “What are you doing?” Asked Kyungsoo, opening his eyes fully, in order to trail his gaze over Jongin’s movement.

“I’m checking for injuries.” He explained matter of factly, placing Kyungsoo’s hands down before scanning over the rest of his body. 

“But what about you?” 

“What about me?” 

Letting out a huff of laughter, Kyungsoo leant forward, rubbing a smudge of dirt off of Jongin’s cheek, before gently pressing his thumb against a scratch that had appeared there, “You’re hurt too.” 

“Hardly,” Jongin scoffed, “I just got caught by a rogue tree branch, I’ll be fine.” Kyungsoo smiled as he spoke, hand slipping from his face before carefully cupping the side of his neck. Jongin tried to ignore the fact that he couldn’t feel any sensation of touch at this action — hoping whatever was happening to Kyungsoo would only be a temporary problem. 

“Thank you, by the way.” Kyungsoo whispered moments later, smile small, but genuine as he addressed Jongin in the dark of the safe house. 

“For what?” 

Shaking his head, Kyungsoo chuckled softly. It was the same, perfectly wonderful laugh that Jongin had heard hours ago, on the train station platform. The low melodic sound that infiltrated Jongin’s hearing and warmed him up from the inside out. “For not leaving me behind back there.” He explained, acting as if it was the option of abandoning him was ever even on the table to begin with. 

Jongin blinked, moving closer to once again grasp Kyungsoo’s hand within his own: “I would never leave you.” He admitted, voice barely above a whisper. Would never leave him, could never leave him. It was the same difference really — the mere notion of abandoning Kyungsoo to those creatures making his stomach churn. 

“I know,” Kyungsoo nodded, “But still, thank you.” 

They sat quietly in the dull dark of the hut, pressed up against the old wooden walls, awaiting Baekhyun’s return. The building was obviously lived in: There was a small crate that doubled up as a makeshift table, a couple of worn out pillows, and what looked to be a bedroll stored out of the way, over in the far corner. Other than them, it was completely empty of people. Jongin hadn't been sure what to expect when entering the safe house — another person, perhaps a small group? But an empty room void of any other humans was not at all what he had imagined. 

This emptiness only served to spark an array of new questions for Jongin. Was Baekhyun really living there by himself? How long had that been? And more importantly, where the hell were they? 

The next few minutes dragged on like hours; both Kyungsoo and Jongin slowly but surely losing hope that Baekhyun would ever return, anxiously watching the door and debating inwardly whether or not they should brave the outside world, and search for him themselves. Thankfully, before either of them made any reckless decisions, there was a loud crash from outside, and the very man they had been waiting for stumbled through the entrance. 

“Boy, was that close!” Laughed Baekhyun, as he leant himself heavily against the door, running his hand through his hair before letting out a sigh of relief. He was panting hard, hands shaking with adrenaline as he made his way further into the room. 

Reaching for a nearby candle, he fumbled with a box of matches before the room was illuminated in a soft warm glow. Baekhyun smiled brightly in the low light — his face was streaked with dirt, and his hair was tusseled, but otherwise he was completely unharmed. Over one arm he carried a brown sack, which he dropped swiftly to the ground: “Here,” he breamed, “I thought we could do with some extra supplies, so I stopped off in the village on the way back though.” he explained, rummaging through the bag and presenting the things he had collected. Out came a couple of blankets, a canister of water, and finally, much to Jogin’s joy, some food. “Eat this,” he instructed, placing a dish of rice in Kyungsoo’s hand, “it will stop you from fading.” 

For a split second, it looked as if Kyungsoo was going to refuse, a defiance that faded as soon as his stomach let out a loud rumble. He was quick to dig in then, hands regaining their colour and opacity as he continued to wolf down the meal. 

“You too,” urged Baekhyun, placing a dish of the same food in front of Jongin, “you’ve really got to keep your strength up in this place.” Unlike Kyungsoo, Jongin didn't need telling twice, digging into the food like it was the first thing he’d eaten in days. 

As the group sat down to eat, a comfortable silence began to form over the room; Baekhyun fussed around the place, before beginning to eat his own meal. “So, got anything helpful in that bag of yours?” He asked, mouth stuffed with food as he nodded in Kyungsoo’s direction, with a laid back expression. 

Kyungsoo, who seemed to have completely forgotten about the rucksack on his back, shook his head: “No, unfortunately not.” He shrugged the bag off of his shoulders, unzipping it and pulling out an empty water bottle, security badge and wallet. “Well, unless cash counts for anything here?” He suggested almost hopefully. 

“I’m afraid not,” Baekhyun sighed. 

“Figures.” Kyungsoo nodded, repacking his bag, before bringing up the question that was on both his and Jongin’s mind: “Actually, Baekhyun, do you mind telling us a bit about this place? Like what is it? How did we end up here? And more importantly, how the hell do we get out?” 

Much to their annoyance, Baekhyun seemed to ignore the questions, physically turning himself away, in order to busy himself elsewhere in the room — grabbing the bedroll from the corner of the room and stretching it out on the floor. Kyungsoo and Jongin watched on expectantly, brows frowning as they waited for him to talk. 

“I understand you probably have a lot of questions,” He eventually replied, once the silence had become too heavy, avoiding eye contact as he continued to tidy up, “and I will answer them… as best I can. But only after you’ve gotten some rest okay. 

“No,” Kyungsoo spoke, saying exactly what both he and Jongin had been thinking, “I think we’d both sleep a lot better, if we had a bit of an idea as to what was going on.” He countered, standing up to face Baekhyun properly. 

Baekhyun just sighed, shaking his head as if slightly disappointed by Kyungsoo’s reaction. “No, trust me. You need some rest first… it makes things easier, I speak from experience.” With that, he was finally facing Kyungsoo, cold eyes locking onto Kyungsoo’s hard stare — neither one of them wanting to give in. 

Jongin gulped audibly. If anyone was to ask him, an argument escalating within the small confines of the hut didn't seem like the best idea. Especially when they had just arrived. And definitely not if it meant compromising their safety. 

In order to settle the situation, he too stood up, reaching tentatively out and placing his hand against Kyungsoo’s wrist. He stayed like that, quietly urging Kyungsoo to let it drop with a gentle squeeze. 

In all honesty, he couldn't help but feel that Baekhyun was right. Maybe some rest would do them a whole world of good. And maybe it really would make things easier in the long run. Because, as much as Jongin hated to admit it, he wasn't sure just how much new information he’d even be able to take in, at that moment in time. He was exhausted, his body still ached, and his eyes were getting heavier and heavier as the night dragged endlessly on. The idea of getting some proper rest sounded very appealing. 

Watching their interactions, Baekhyun’s eyes flashed with something indistinguishable. Jealousy maybe? A hint of longing? Whatever it was, the split second change in expression was completely lost on the other two men, Kyungsoo’s vision once again trained on Jongin as he allowed him to distil the tension that had formed within the small room. 

“Okay.” he reluctantly gave in, eyes not leaving Jongin’s as he nodded, “But tomorrow, you will tell us everything.” 

“Absolutely!” Baekhyun nodded, letting out a sigh of relief, “I’ll be more than happy to, but thank you, you both deserve some rest, it’s vital that you get some first.” As he spoke, he began to edge his way towards the door, “Anyway,” he said, changing the conversation, “feel free to make yourselves comfortable — what’s mine is yours. I’m gonna check on things outside… you know… make sure I wasn't being followed and all that.” He explained a little too quickly, as if eager to get himself out of their hair now that they were no longer in immediate danger. He smiled at them both, what could only be described as an expression of pining, flitting over his features, before he was stepping out, and leaving the two of them alone. 

As the door clicked shut, Jongin found himself feeling suddenly hesitant. He was stood beside Kyungsoo, fingers curled around his wrist, eyes flicking consciously between the door, and the single bedroll. Silence enveloped them, Kyungsoo’s eyes were still locked on the side of his face, as Jongin looked around for something to do, or more importantly, something to say. 

In the end, he stepped away at the exact same moment that Kyungsoo spoke: “Thank you, for stepping in back there… I shouldn’t have gotten so irritated, so quickly.” He admitted, eyes finally darting away, as if he felt too ashamed to hold the contact any longer. 

“Don’t mention it.” Jongin shrugged, toeing off his shoes and placing them to the side of the room, “it’s been a long day, and you’ve been through a lot. If i wasn’t so exhausted, I would have probably reacted the same way.” He sympathised, offering a kind smile in Kyungsoo’s direction, before turning his attention to the only bed in the room. 

It was cold in the safe house, the January chill seeping through the thin windowpanes and old wooden walls, and into the room; what little heat that had been created by the flame of the candle doing very (very) little to warm the space. From where he was standing, Jongin could see a total of three blankets. Three relatively old, threadbare blankets, that would make more convincing cleaning rags, than suitable bed covers. A shiver ran through his body — Jongin thoroughly regretted not wearing a coat when he left his apartment that morning (what was he thinking? It was January for god’s sake). He also wished desperately to be out of his uncomfortable work suit — the restrictive, tailored material wasn’t half as comfortable as it had been when he first put it on, well over twelve hours ago now. 

And to make it worse, there was only one bed… 

Of course, on the grand scale of things, this really wasn’t a big deal. The two of them had been through a lot together, that night alone, and sharing a bed would hardly be the worst thing at the end of a pretty terrible day. Still, something made him hesitant, the truth that he’d technically known Kyungsoo for less than twenty-four hours coming to the forefront of his mind. What if he’d gotten the wrong impression of Kyungsoo? What if something like this would make him uncomfortable?

As if sensing his inner turmoil, Kyungsoo cleared his throat, bringing Jongin’s attention back to him, and making him realise just how quiet he’d been for the last few minutes: “Um, if it makes you uncomfortable, I’m happy to sleep on the floor.” He suggested, picking up the nearest blanket and wrapping it around his shoulders with a yawn. He looked tired, really tired, the last few hours of stress catching up with him, as his eyes blinked slowly up at Jongin. 

Watching him for a moment, as he attempted to get comfortable against the wall, Jongin found himself shaking his head, a pang of guilt entering his system. “Kyungsoo,” he murmured, voice sounding unexpectedly tender, even to himself, “if anyone deserves the bed, it’s you.” He stated, tired legs carrying him back towards the other man, as he reached out for his hand, gently coaxing him over to the bedroll. 

“Don’t be such a martyr,” Kyungsoo chuckled sleepily, “there’s plenty of room for the both of us.” 

There really wasn't… However, unwilling (or maybe unable) to argue with him over something so futile, Jongin grabbed his own blanket before settling himself down onto the futon. There was a musty smell in the air, possibly from the mattress, possibly from the blankets — probably both. But right at that moment, Jongin couldn’t care less, mind much more preoccupied by the sight of Kyungsoo making his way towards him. 

He too, took off his shoes, placing them neatly beside Jongin’s own, before blowing out the candle. The room was plunged into darkness, a subtle scent of smoke mixing with the musty bedding to create a strangely comforting concoction. The smell reminded Jongin of his grandma's house. Old, in need of a good dust, but undeniably loved. A part of him couldn’t help but wish that he was back there now, being tucked into bed as a young child, while his grandma told him stories all about her childhood. He sighed at the memory, snapping his mind back to the present, as Kyungsoo sat down on the edge of the bed. 

As expected, it was a bit of a squeeze, Jongin finding it hard to relax as he became increasingly aware of just how close they were lying. They were pressed: shoulder to shoulder, thigh to thigh — limbs held uncomfortably still, as they wished for sleep to take them under. 

“Jongin…” Kyungsoo was the first to break the silence, twisting his body in order to face him properly, “Are you okay?” He asked, yet again, “You seem a little tense.” 

At his concern, Jongin felt himself blush, not having realised just how ridgid he’d been holding himself. “I’m just cold.” He explained, settling on a half truth as yet another shiver made its way though his body, the winter chill continuing to seep into him. 

“Me too.” Kyungsoo agreed, body seeming to gravitate just that little bit closer as he spoke, “I’m freezing.” He added, body shaking slightly as if to really drive his point home. 

A sudden idea popped into Jongin’s head. A stupid, and posibly highly inappropriate idea, but an idea nonetheless — and a surefire way to keep them both warm for the night, well warmer then they currently where at least. Rolling, so that he was face to face with Kyungsoo, Jongin readied himself for rejection before speaking: “Do you… do you mind—?” 

He didn't have to finish the question before Kyungsoo, as if knowing exactly what he was trying to say, lifted his threadbare blanket, allowing Jongin to crawl his way under before wrapping it (and his arm) securely around him. 

Comfortable in his embrace, Jongin found it wasn't at all long before his eyes began to slip shut. Face buried snugly against Kyungsoo’s chest, while a strange warmth spread embers throughout his entire body. 

And finally, the relief of sleep welcomed them home. 

***

Jongin awoke to the not-so-distant sound of voices and the smell of candle wax. He was warm, and comfortable, his face still pressed into Kyungsoo’s chest, giving the impression that he hadn't moved an inch all night. And as he lay there, willing his body to wake up, he became acutely aware of fingers running softly through his hair. Finally, he opened his eyes, body stirring against Kyungsoo’s and drawing the attention of the room to him. 

“Good morning,” Kyungsoo mumbled, voice still thick and croaky from sleep as he spoke. 

On top of him, Jongin let out a yawn — rubbing tiredly at his puffy eyes. “What time is it?” He asked, blinking awake some more, and attempting to sit himself up. 

From the otherside of the room, Baekhyun chuckled: “Well,” he paused, making a point to glance out the window, “I usually call this dawn.” He shrugged, offering no further explanation. 

At his words, Jongin snapped to attention, body shooting up, as memories from the night before came rushing back to him. It was still dark outside. well , lighter than before, but dark nevertheless. The sky gave the impression that the morning was desperate to break behind the darkness of night; the sun so close, yet painfully far from peaking above the horizon. Dawn, Jongin supposed, was probably the best way to describe it. 

Closing his eyes, he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to make sense of everything in his half asleep state. Last night he’d dreamt of trains, and smoke, and shadows — anxiety ridden hallucinations that left him happy to face a new day…

Waking up to reality, however, wasn't much better. 

Noticing the change in tension, Kyungsoo moved to give him a little space. The empty place by his side making Jongin instantly miss warmth that he’d grown accustomed to. 

“Anyway,” Baekhyun continued, choosing to ignore Jongin’s more anxious appearance in order to address the pair as a whole, “now that you’re both awake, we can get on with the question and answer session you were so eager to start last night.” He joked, sending a playful wink in Kyungsoo’s direction, before handing a bread roll to each of them, “But,” he added, smug twinkle in his eye, “you have to answer my questions as well, and, as I gave you food and shelter, I go first.” 

For a moment, it looked as if Kyungsoo was going to disagree, Jongin deciding to jump in before anything could be said: “Fine, ask away.” 

Baekhyun smiled sweetly in his direction, taking a bite of his own bread roll before speaking: “First things first, do you mind introducing yourself? If you ask me, it seems a bit unfair that you know who I am, but I have absolutely no idea who you are.” 

That was easy, Jongin could do that with absolutely no problem: “My name’s Kim Jongin,” he stated, “I’m twenty-six, I live and work in Seoul. My job’s in finance.” He explained, “I was on my way home when the train dropped us off here instead.” 

In front of him, Baekhyun nodded, taking in what Jongin had said before turning to Kyungsoo: “Alright, now it’s your turn, big boy.” He teased, grinning when Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes. 

“Doh Kyungsoo, twenty-seven, security guard.” He stated, keeping his answers short and to the point. 

“Ooh,” Baekhyun sounded mildly impressed, “Security guard. Well, that would explain the brooding expression at least.” He chided, obviously getting a lot of enjoyment from riling Kyungsoo up. “So tell me, Jongin, Kyungsoo, how long have you two known each other.” He said, leaning forwards as if it was the most interesting topic in the world. 

The two addressed men shared a look, “Um, since last night, I guess.” Kyungsoo answered for the both of them, shrugging while Jongin gave a nod of agreement, “I’m not sure how many hours that equates to.” 

“Last night?” Baekhyun sounded almost taken aback by the answer, recoiling slightly as if he were totally reassessing everything he thought he knew. 

“Yeah,” Jongin confirmed, “why do you ask, anyway?” 

“Well it’s just… you know… you seem so close — so in-tune with each other. I don’t know, you just remind me of how Ch—” He cut himself off, “You remind me of a couple I used to know…” 

Unsure of how to reply, or maybe point blank refusing to acknowledge what he’d just said, Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes once again: “Okay, now you know a lot more about us than we do about you — spill, tell us a bit about yourself.”

For once, Baekhyun seemed more than happy to oblige, gripping the knew topic like a lifeline: “Okay,” he nodded, “My name is Byun Baekhyun, I’m twenty-seven, I also live in Seoul, my job was in sales, and I kinda fell into this place on the way home from a night out… and let me tell you, if you though it was freaky last night, just imagine how messed up it is when you’re drunk. Hangovers here are not fun… believe me.” Jongin did believe him, finally understanding why he was dressed like he was planning on going clubbing — from the skin tight pants, to what looked to be a sheer shirt — in fact, everything but the hugely oversized hoodie screamed night out. 

“Okay, thank you.” Kyungsgoo nodded, “So, that leads me on to the next question: what is this place?” 

“Right,” Baekhyun sighed, “I was waiting for this.” He paused, “Before I say anything, just know that what I’m about to tell you hasn’t necessarily been proven, but it’s just what I’ve been able to understand in my time here.” Jongin and Kyungsoo looked on expectantly, waiting patiently for him to continue. “Alright… how can I explain this… so, I believe… or rather, I’ve come to call this place: The Spirit Realm…” He finished, folding his arms dramatically. 

There was a moment of silence: The Spirit Realm…” Jongin repeated, struggling to make sense of what Baekhyun had just said, “As in… the place you go once you die?” His voice became a little higher at the end, the same anxieties from the night before coming back to great him. 

“Uh, not quite. Trust me, we’re not dead… or, I believe we’re alive at least… No, I think this is some kind of transition area — a kind of purgatory, or limbo, if you will. Somewhere between the land of the living — our world, and the dead — or, the after world…” He trailed off, eyes flicking over the pair in front of him, and their matching expressions of disbelief. “Yeah… I bet you’re glad I made you wait until you had rested, huh?” 

“No, I’m sorry that’s an… interesting story… but I find it very hard to believe, Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo pursed his lips, speaking carefully as if to try and depict the truth behind Baekhyun’s statement, “I mean, if that's really the case, and the shadows are actually some kind of spirits, then why is there so much stuff here. Like buildings, and food… you can’t seriously be suggesting that spirits need food, right?” 

“You’d be surprised,” Baekhyun shrugged, “spirits really love their luxuries. I don’t think it’s so much about needing them, per se, but more about wanting them. I mean they're dead, right? Might as well have everything you couldn’t in your real life. Although… I have to say, I’ve never actually located anything better then the scraps I’ve managed to collect.” 

“Look at it this way, we’re not in our world anymore — the rules of logic don’t apply here, and for all we know there is only the finest veil between us, and the other side.” He shrugged, “Just think about the shrines, they’re pretty hard to miss, right? Well, I’ve been here long enough to see a pattern: people — I mean spirits — appear by the shrines every so often. They seem lost for a few days before finding their way to the town and staying there. From what I can tell, the older a spirit gets, the less human it appears, eventually disappearing altogether. Now, we are obviously not spirits, and because of this, we become a threat… or a kind of parasite to the land, which is why the shadows want to get rid of us… if that makes sense? Like I said, it’s just what I’ve deduced over my time here.” 

“And how long exactly have you been here?” Jongin spoke up, unable to hide to curiosity in his voice.” 

“Honestly? I don’t know.” Baekhyun admitted, “I’m sure you’ve already noticed this, but time works differently around here. We tried to keep track at first, but it’s near impossible after a while.” 

“We?” Kyungsoo jumped in. 

“As in Ch— Chanyeol?” Jongin chanced, watching for any glimmer of recognition on the other man’s face, “That was the name you called last night, wasn't it? What happened to him?” 

“Ah—” Baekhyun’s eyes flashed with something: uncertainty — perhaps a hint of longing, “There’s no time to go into that right now.” He said, expertly dodging the question, “The sky’s about to reach its brightest point… If you want to make it out of here, we’d better get a move on.” 

Jongin and Kyungsoo shared a look, there was definitely more to that story, but for the time being Baekhyun was obviously less than happy to share it. 


	3. Trust

According to Baekhyun: spirits were a lot less active during the brighter hours of the day; choosing to hide themselves away in their little village of safety, until the cover of night had fallen once again. Which was why, as the sky reached a dull slate grey in colour, it was deemed the perfect time to get out and as far away from the spirit village as they could carry themselves… according to Baekhyun.

There was a strong sense of finality, as they left the safe house that dawn. Baekhyun retrieved the delicate gold key, from where it had been abandoned the night before, locking the door securely behind them, before patting the side of the little hut — as if saying goodbye to an old friend. The key was then left under a large, moss covered stone, a clear indication that it’s current owner wouldn’t be returning for it any time soon. 

Kyungsoo and Jongin shared a glance before setting off. They were in a strange place, being led, by a relatively strange man, who could apparently glow… and despite their best attempts, didn't see the fun in opening up. In fact, despite their best attempt, neither Jongin or Kyungsoo felt they knew the first thing about the mysterious Byun Baekhyun… not really, at least. 

Nervous: was one way to describe the cocktail of emotions flitting around Jongin’s insides… 

Completely petrified: would probably be a more accurate one. 

Baekhyun hadn’t looked back as he set off; keeping his head high and chattering non stop as he led them through the trees. He seemed confident, happy, and maybe even a little excited, as if he’d been waiting for this moment for a long time. He probably had been, said the voice in Jongin’s head, thoughts only feeding the intrigue. 

Walking just ahead of them, Baekhyun moved with a spring in his step. He kept light on the balls of his feet, talking animatedly about some of the oddities, and theories surrounding the forest: “Like, have you noticed nothing seems to live here… like at all, there are no animals, obviously no people, and not even any insects.” Yes, they had noticed, “And don’t even get me started on the lack of moon and stars…” He continued to ramble, not seeming to care that he was carrying a one-sided conversation and instead giving the impression that nothing this place could throw at them was going to get in the way of his good mood. Jongin wished he could be as optimistic, knowing deep down that he wouldn't be able to relax until they were well on their way out of there. 

On their backs, they each carried a bag: Kyungsoo with his backpack, and a worn sack for both Jongin and Baekhyun. Inside, were all the supplies they might possibly need for the journey: food, fresh water, blankets, matches. Baekhyun, having been very thorough when clearing out the inside of the safe house, and ensuring everything useful that he had collected over his time in the spirit realm, was packed and ready to go. 

Navigating the forest during the dawn period (as Baekhyun had taken to calling it), was a lot easier than in the dead of night. The trees didn’t seem to loom as much, undergrowth looking less like it could eat you alive and shrines no longer towered unnervingly out of the mist. All the same, as they made their way further from the village — pathways narrowing and beginning to twist and turn once more — Jongin made sure to keep close to Kyungsoo, not wanting either of them to become separated or lost in the disorientating forest. Kyungsoo didn’t seem to mind, smiling reassuringly at him as the group took yet another sharp turn, and entered yet another narrow walkway. 

“Baekhyun?” He called after a while, disrupting their tour guides one-sided conversation about food, and all the other things he missed about the human realm, and bringing his attention back to the two people behind him. 

“Yeah?” He questioned, seeming almost excited to be engaged in a conversation. 

“Where are we actually heading…?” 

Blinking a couple of times, Baekhyun’s eyes widened almost comically, slapping his hand dramatically against his forehead: “Crap, did I really not tell you?” He questioned, watching in dismay as both Kyungsoo and Jongin shook their heads: “Really? Wow I’m sorry… Well, we’re heading to the train station.” He stated, turning on his heels and continuing to walk, as if that was all the explanation they needed. 

“The train station?” Kyungsoo stopped in his tracks, “But that’s on the other side of the village. We’ll be going completely the wrong way if we continue down this path. He argued, pointing back down the way they’d just walked. Jongin too came to a halt, realising that Kyungsoo was right: if it was the train station they wanted, this was the last place they needed to be.

Baekhyun however, didn't seem at all fussed by their cries of doubt, shaking his head and smiling sympathetically at them: “No,” he clarified, “not that train station, the only place the train will stop now is in the mountain.” 

“Mountain?” Jongin heard himself scoff, “What mountain—?” As soon as the words left his mouth, the forest seemed to shift: a large, rocky outcrop extending from the land in front of them. Growing, distorting, until much to Jongin’s amazement, there was in fact a mountain standing tall in the distance. 

“Did you do that?” Accused Kyungsoo, grabbing Baekhyun by the arm of his hoodie as if to say: don’t try anything funny.

“No!” Baekhyun laughed, hands scrabbling at Kyungsoo’s fist, “Come on, do you hear yourself? Like I’d ever have that level of power! I can’t even control the freaking light thing, and you think I can make full mountains grow?” He shook his head, acting as if that was the most preposterous idea he’d ever heard. “Look, I didn't think I needed to explain this, but,” he sighed, “I guess you could say this place plays tricks on us. It's like some kind of illusion or something.” He explained, wrenching himself free from Kyungsoo’s grip and staring definitely at them: “Tell me this: how long do you think you spent walking in circles last night?” 

As soon as the question left his mouth, Kyungsoo took a step back, eyes flashing with confusion as he thought back to the night before. 

“The paths are confusing, aren't they? Almost like a maze? Almost as if the woodland changes around you as you walk… all I’m saying is, it might not be such a coincidence.” 

Now that he mentioned it, Jongin did recall feeling like they passed the same few shrines a number of times on the walk through the forest. He hadn't paid much attention to it at the time, discounting all the anomalies as a trick of the light. But now, if Baekhyun really was telling the truth, perhaps it had been more than that… perhaps it was actually the place — messing with them. 

“Fine.” Kyungsoo surrendered, “So, the mountain, how do we get there?” 

“Finally, something I can actually answer.” He physically relaxed at the question, offering a playful smile. “It will take a minimum of two days to walk, and that’s if we don’t get caught up in any spirit swarms on the way.” He began moving forward again, beckoning the others to follow. “Luckily for you, I know what paths to take and where to camp out. Unluckily for us all, I have no way of knowing when the train will be stopping — could be anytime between today, and the next few days. But, if we miss it, we miss it. So,” he shrugged, “I suggest we don’t miss it.” As always with Baekhyun, his words weren’t exactly reassuring, but at least they had a better idea of what they were heading towards. 

With the mountain looming ahead of them, they set their sights on the distance and began to speed up. 

After all, they had a train to catch. 

***

As with a lot of things in the spirit realm, time, didn’t work in the same way as it did in the land of the living: “Sometimes dawn can last for a lot longer.” Stated Baekhyun once the light had begun to fade for the day, “I’ve even seen it get bright enough that the streetlights turned off… but I’ve never seen the sunrise.” 

“What about night?” Jongin found himself asking, “How long does that normally last?” 

“It depends, I try and split it up into three sections: Dawn.” Baekhyun raised a finger, “Dusk.” Another, “Midnight.” And finally a third. “They each have varying levels of light, and varying lengths of time. Dusk always leads to midnight, but sometimes midnight skips dawn completely. It can get pretty confusing, which is one of the reasons I lost count in the first place.” 

Kyungsoo, who was listening carefully, narrowed his eyes: “If it’s so confusing, how do you know it will only take two days then? I mean you’ve said so yourself, you can’t even keep track of how many days you've been here.” He stated voice thick with accusation. He raised an eyebrow, waiting expectantly for Baekhyun to explain himself. 

“God, do you really not trust me?” Baekhyun threw back, folding his arms in defence, “I give you food. I give you shelter. I literally save your sorry asses, yet you still have the audacity to think I’m…” He seemed to struggle for the right words, “What? Gonna lead you into a trap? Take you out into the wilderness and leave you for dead? I already told you, if I was gonna do that, I would never have offered to help you in the first place!” 

  
  


Despite his strong argument, Kyungsoo still continued to glare, ““Just answer the question.” 

Baekhyun sighed, “Fine. I don’t know.” He admitted, “Call it a feeling, if you like. An internal clock. Look, I’ve made the journey many times before. On a good day, I can get there in two cycles. On a bad trip, it can feel more like three or maybe even four. So please forgive me, if I’m hoping for an easy one.” 

That answer seemed to satisfy Kyungsoo. He gave a sharp nod, followed by a ‘hmph’ of acknowledgement, physically stepping away from the conversation. To his side, Jongin nudged him gently: “Kyungsoo,” he whispered, “I think we should trust him, I genuinely believe he’s trying to help us.” 

“I know,” Kyungsoo admitted, “But it’s not in my nature to be so trusting.” Despite his words, there was no defiance in his voice, as if he was willing to listen to what Jongin had to say, waiting even, for him to change his mind. 

“Well, I trust him… and you trust me, right?” 

“Yeah… yeah I trust you Jongin.” 

“Then that’s all you need to do, and I’ll trust Baekhyun for the both of us.” 

The words left his mouth, and Kyungsoo smiled, meeting Jongin’s eyes and offering him a small nod, “Okay, I think that could work.” 

***

Dawn turned to dusk within what felt like a matter of minutes, what little light there had been steadily fading away, before it even had the chance to properly appear. Slate grey turning to dusty blue, a hint of orange skirting around the horizon before that too was fading away. 

***

By this point in the day, Jongin wasn't sure just how long they’d been walking. An hour? Two hours? Definitely no more than three hours tops. Feet trudging on, step after repetitive step, as they made their way through the relentless forest paths. It was cold, the small group breathing out snowy white clouds with each breath, as they shivered against the fresh air. The woods were as quiet as Jongin remembered them: no bird song, no wind to blow through the trees and disturb the undergrowth. Just them, the only three human beings in the void of all things living — a sobering fact that Baekhyun liked to point out regularly throughout the walk. 

“It’s gonna get real dark, real soon,” Baekhyun sighed from the path just ahead of them, he shifted the bag on his shoulder neck twinging slightly with the weight of the supplies inside. “I think it will be good to catch our breath again before walking to the shelter. Midnight can stretch on for a long time… as I’m sure you’re well aware, so there’s no point settling down just yet.” He explained, half heartedly massaging his neck, before trailing his eyes around his immediate vicinity. “In fact, I’m pretty sure…” he mumbled, turning around in a circle to get a better look at the area they were currently standing in, “Yeah, there should be a bridge around here…Aha!” With that exclamation, he was off. Motioning for them to follow him with a wave of his hand, before leading them swiftly off the path and towards what looked to be a large clearing. 

The tree’s opened up, what Jongin had thought to be an opening in the trees, falling away to reveal a large, deep river. It seemed to split the forest in two — parting the dense trees in one effortless motion, before stretching off into the distance. Along the bank, Jongin could make out far-off walkways and bridges, not dissimilar to the one they had arrived at. They marked different pathways on either side, simultaneously drawing the eye towards the looming mountain. 

The group of three stopped, Kyungsoo and Jongin taking in the new sights around them, as they finally stepped out of the tree line, and into the open. The bridge itself was a large metal structure, painted in a postbox red, with curved sides, and wooden planks underfoot. Like the rest of the buildings and structures found in the forest, this too just screamed old fashioned, yet despite this, it looked almost brand new. The paint was fresh, wooden planks hardly worn and metal work without a single hint of rust. This, coupled with its location, made it difficult to place, Jongin feeling a strange sense of familiarity surrounding it, despite being completely sure that he’d never seen a bridge like it before. 

Deciding to make the first move, Baekhyun strode confidently towards it, running his hand along the metalwork before sitting down with his legs between the bars. Letting out a sigh of relief, he allowed himself to flop backwards, using his bag as a makeshift pillow as he gazed up into the empty sky. It didn’t take long at all before both Jongin and Kyungsoo decided to join him. Sitting in a more upright manner, while they allowed themselves to have a well deserved rest. 

Like the trees that populated the forest, the water of the river lay perfectly still — not a single ripple to be seen, no pull of a current, and no buzz of flying insects to be heard. It was almost pitch back in colour, but Jongin couldn’t work out whether that was because of the night sky, or just the water itself… and, in all honesty, he wasn't sure if he really wanted to find out. 

Beautiful, was the first word that sprang to Jongin’s mind while gazing over the expanse of water. Because, it really was beautiful, in a strange, haunting kinda way. The view in front of him evoking the same skin crawling, spine tingling reaction that a scene from a horror movie would… the painful build up of anticipation right before a jumpscare. There was a ghostly sheen of white reflecting off the river. A glow of what could only ever be described as moonlight… if the moon actually existed in this realm. The sight sent a shiver through his body, acting as a reminder that no matter how hauntingly beautiful it was, no matter now peaceful it seemed, it wasn't home — not by a long shot. 

On their walk through the woods, the night before, Jongin and Kyungsoo had passed many small streams and twisting rivers — some even with bridges, but none quite like this. This river felt never ending, as if you could follow it for days, and still never make it closer to the mouth. All the other bodies of water had felt correct for the location, as if they belonged there. But not this one, no, this one stood out. This one, was a slap in the face of all things normal. 

“Right! Food, drink!” Baekhyun cut Jongin out of his thoughts, swinging himself into a seated position, and opening up his sack. On Jongin’s other side, Kyungsoo did the same, pulling out a canister of water, and passing it down the row. A portion of food was shared between the three of them, Baekhyun's chatter becoming silenced as they all began to eat. 

The quiet that fell wasn't exactly heavy, but it certainly wasn’t comfortable either. It was the quiet that came, when nothing else could be said, the mutual understanding of their imminent escape, and all the hurdles that stood in their way resting heavily on each man’s shoulders. It was always there, a constant thought in the back of their heads. It was a force that kept them pushing, kept them moving forward. And it was what kept them quiet now, small talk not really cutting the buzzing tension of things to come. 

*** 

“Baekhyun?” In the end, Kyungsoo was the first to break the deafening silence — voice a low, barely there whisper, as if he himself kind of hoped the man he was addressing wouldn’t hear him. 

“Hmm?” 

“How have you survived here, over a long period of time?” He asked. For once there was no sneer to his words, no doubt or distrust in his voice, just genuine curiosity. 

Baekhyun seemed taken aback by the calmer, bordering on friendly tone of voice, head lifting up from the food he was eating and over to Kyungsoo, “I… guess it’s just sorta became habitual, you know?” Kyungsoo tilted his head to the side, as if to say ‘go on’, Baekhyun went on: “Well, it’s a survival instinct, really. It takes a lot of time to get used to, to begin with. You know, a lot of running, a lot of feeling lost and overwhelmed. But eventually you get used to it, and all the things you once found stressful or difficult become the new normal. You adapt — you have to adapt, and luckily for us, humans are great at it, we do it so naturally that we don’t even realise it. It just takes time.” There was a pause, Jongin watching as Baekhyun narrowed his eyes, “Why are you suddenly taking an interest in me anyway?” 

“No reason,” Kyungsoo shrugged, eyes darting away from the other man and instead back to the water below, “I was just trying to make conversation.” Baekhyun seemed to accept that answer, letting out another hum of acknowledgment, before turning back to his food. Kyungsoo, however, wasn't done talking: “It’s peaceful here, isn’t it.” He sighed, gaze drifting over the perfectly still water, before coming to rest on Jongin. 

“I suppose,” he nodded, eyes fixed onto the distant view while he attempted to distinguish some of the blurry background details. Everything but the mountain was covered in the strange cloudy film, it distorted the edge, giving the impression that nothing past the immediate vicinity really existed. “In a kind of unnerving way, I mean.” He clarified, finally turning in Kyungsoo’s direction. 

“Yeah, yeah… of course.” Agreed Kyungsoo, he took a sip of his water, eyes darting back to the river — expression, guilty. He had a far away look about him, as if he was struggling to remember something; eyebrows furrowed, fingers worrying at the bottle clasped in his hand — seeming suddenly unsure of how to hold himself: “It's just, I don’t know… different to real life… its quieter. I like quiet. Things were always so busy and loud in the city. This… this is a pleasant change.” 

A shrill alarm bell started ringing in Jongin’s head, Kyungsoo’s statement flooding him with concern. Surely Kyungsoo couldn’t like it here, surely he wasn’t actually suggesting that it could be better than real life? The never ending silence, the forever changing landscape. The spirit creature that seemed intent on eliminating them. That wasn’t living. That wasn’t what life was about. 

He was about to open his mouth, questions of worry on the tip of his tongue, when an unfamiliar noise disrupted the unnatural stillness of the forest, and distracted them all. “Shhh,” Baekhyun instructed, “do you hear that?” Both Jongin and Kyungsoo looked up, ears straining. 

It started off as a faint chugging, coming from somewhere deep within the undergrowth. The noise getting louder and louder, until a sudden explosion of yellow white steam could be seen shooting up from above the treetops, then, finally, an ear splitting whistle. The telltale sign of light came into view on a not-so-distant bridge, before, the very thing they had been so eager to see was speeding over the tracks. 

“TRAIN!” Shouted Baekhyun as he shot up out of his seat, dropping the food he had been eating in his hurry to get moving. Without waiting, or looking back, he set off in a sprint — leaving Jongin and Kyungsoo behind in a cloud of dust, as the two of them attempted to keep up. “We can make it! We can make it!” Together, they scrambled off the bridge, making their way as quickly as humanly possible, down the side of the river and towards the tracks. 

As they ran, tree roots and stray branches seemed to thrust themselves out of the undergrowth and into their path — tripping them, snagging them, and making the task a whole lot more impossible than it had been in the first place. To make it worse, the landscape itself seemed to be playing some kind of sick joke on them — train and tracks managing to stay a good few meters away from them, no matter how far they seemed to run. 

They were always just out of reach, as if with every step they took, the distance between them and their destination doubled. 

With desperation coursing through their veins, the three of them sped up, finally closing the distance between them and the train. Seeing this, Jongin felt a bud of optimism bloom within him. This could be it! This could be their ticket out, their lucky card, their way back home. Just as these thoughts crossed his mind, a particularly large tree root seemed to materialise directly in front of him. 

His foot snagged, world tilting on its axes and vision blurring as he tumbled over. 

The floor hit him with a sickening thud. His ears ringing, head dizzy with the effort of working out which way was up, and which way was down. 

Somewhere in the distance, he could hear his name being called, a pair of hands reaching forward and pulling him, almost desperately, out of his daze. A face came into view, blurry features quickly coming into focus to reveal none other than Kyungsoo himself. He was looking at Jongin with very clear concern in his eyes, arm wrapped securely around his waist as he continued forwards. He was talking rapidly, mouth moving, but words falling on deaf ears; whatever he was saying being completely lost on Jongin, who, at that moment of time, was more aware of the throbbing in his head, than anything else.

Attempting to reassure Kyungsoo that he was in fact fine, Jongin attempted a smile, lips twisting into a grimace, as he became uncomfortably aware of an intense stinging sensation, stemming from his chin. 

In the end, it didn't matter — his failed attempt at a smile dropping almost as quickly as it had formed, when he watched, much to his horror, as the train they had been desperately chasing, reached the otherside of the bridge — taking a sharp turn, before completely disappearing from view. 

As the quiet settled over the land once more, Kyungsoo stopped moving, hands dropping to his side, as Jongin continued forward; staggering for a couple of steps, before he too ground to a halt. 

In front of them, Baekhyun was swearing loudly, stomping his feet like a child who hadn’t gotten his way, and literally shaking his fists at the sky. “I HATE THIS PLACE!” He cried out in frustration, grabbing a rock from the path and hurling it into the murky water. Despite the force of impact, not a single ripple formed — a fact that only seemed to intensify the anger, that Baekhyun was feeling. He let out one last yell, kicking a tree before hanging his head in defeat. 

With a cold dread seeping back into his bones, Jongin slid to the ground. His vision was more or less clear, by that point, ears no longer ringing, and ground in front of him no longer spinning. But his head, on the other hand, was a very different story: it ached. It ached worse than it had for a very, very long time. The kind of pain that you went to sleep with, and woke up to face again the next day. The kind of pain that stayed with you — a memory, a ghost, coming back to strike you when you least expected it. 

Seeing him drop, Kyungsoo was back by his side in a heartbeat, crouching down next to him and checking for injuries. “How many fingers am I holding up?” He asked, raising his hand and waving it in front of Jongin’s face. 

“Three.” Jongin answered correctly, taking Kyungsoo’s sigh of relief as a good sign, before turning his eyes on Baekhyun: “What do we do now?” He questioned, voice unable to hide to painful disappointment that had infiltrated his emotions. 

With the realisation that he was being addressed dawning on him, Baekhyun snapped back to attention, eyes wild, and smile painfully fake, as he trudged towards them, “What do we do now? Good question… good question.” He mumbled, “Well, I… don’t… know.” He admitted, “I don’t know.” He threw his arms up in the air, voice coming out a little too loud. “In all the times I’ve taken this trip— in all the times I’ve sat at that bridge, not once— NOT ONCE, has the train ever passed me by. So,” he shrugged dramatically, “I don’t know. I don’t know. I really, really don’t know. Do we still have time to catch it at the mountain station? I’d like to say yes, but I truly don’t know. Have we missed it for good? Surely not…? But then again, I don’t bloody know.” He was getting hysterical by that point, ranting loudly in frustration as his one clear cut plan seemed to speed away from them. “So yeah, to summerise: I have no fucking clue, what we do next… Does that answer your question?” 

As his explosion of emotions came to a deafening end, Jongin felt himself lose the last thread of hope that he had been desperately clinging onto, head conjuring up all kinds of images depicting life as a permanent resident of the spirit realm.

Out of the three of them, Kyungsoo it seemed, was the only person not freaking out. He was still crouched beside Jongin, eyes sharp, gaze steady as it darted from one area to another, almost like he was waiting for something — watching for the slightest of movements. 

He was the first to notice that they were no longer alone. 

It was subtle to begin with, a small, almost unnoticeable shift of shadows caught in the corner of their vision. The woodland seemed to grow deeper, darker — creeping forward, creeping closer as an impending sense of doom left them shivering from more than just the cold. “Guys,” Kyungsoo murmured, voice straining with the effort to stay level, “I think we need to get out of here… right now.” 

At the sound of his voice, Baekhyun snapped back to attention, eyes flashing with a mixture of concern and shock as he looked around him — as if he couldn't quite believe that he’d allowed his emotion to get the better of him, or that he’d even let his guard down in the first place. His momentary lapse in concentration putting all three of them in harm's way. Jumping back into survival mode, he spun around to face the forest, his brain quickly coming up with a plan of action, before he was setting off. “Follow me!” He called, darting off without another word. At his instruction, neither Jongin or Kyungsoo waisted a second of time, hauling themselves up and hurrying after him. 

***

The forest was completely blanketed by night, as they made their way back through the undergrowth. And, off the main path without a single dimly glowing streetlight to guide their way, it was near impossible to see three feet in front of their faces, never mind actually find a way out, and away from the oncoming spirits. 

“Hey,” panted Kyungsoo, they had been running for a few painfully long minutes by that point, pushing their way through undergrowth, dodging shadows, and becoming steadily more disorientated. Despite their best efforts, the shadows had been able to keep up, simultaneously gaining on them, and gaining in numbers, as they swarmed in their direction: “we could really do with that light thing of yours around about now.” 

“I can’t do it on command!” Baekhyun argued, not slowing up as they shot out of one clearing and into another. 

“Can you at least try, this is kind of a last resort situation!” 

For a moment, it looked as if Baekhyun was going to ignore what Kyungsoo had said, shaking his head in dismissal, and continuing to cut a new path through the forest, but something changed his mind. Maybe it was the tone of Kyungsoo’s voice, the obvious fact that Jongin was beginning to struggle, a strange burst of inspiration, or a mixture of all three. He stilled, swearing under his breath before turning to face the oncoming wall of shadow: “Get behind me.” He instructed, “I can’t promise this will work.”

As he spoke, his hands began to flicker, light traveling from his fingertips and collecting in his palm. It spread quickly, illuminating his arms, before going further — flowing up his neck, down his torso, weaving itself into his features, until he once again appeared as the glowing figure from the night before. 

The light illuminated the clearing, bouncing off the trees and slamming directly into the wall of shadows. To his side, Jongin and Kyungsoo covered their eyes, automatically craning their heads together as they did so.

Baekhyun’s light faded nearly as soon as it had appeared, power disappearing in one huge beam. It wasn’t as much as the night before, but it would do — scattering the shadows into the far corners of the woods, and giving them enough time to get the hell out of there. “Come on,” Baekhyun beckoned, steadying his suddenly dizzy self before setting off, “I think I recognise this place, there should be somewhere to sleep nearby.” With the promise of rest keeping them going, Kyungsoo grabbed hold of Jongin’s hand, and rushed to keep up with the third member of their escape party. 

***

True to his word, it wasn’t long at all before a large rock face appeared out of the mist. Tall, and shrouded in plants, it stood, seemingly hidden amongst the trees, like a badly kept secret. 

Baekhyun didn’t slow down for a second, as they neared it, pushing through the undergrowth, before herding them into a shallow cave. “We’ll be safe here for the rest of the night.” He explained, dropping his bag to the floor, before collecting as much dry kindling as he could find, into a makeshift fire. 

A match was struck, and the cave was quickly illuminated with a warm orange glow, as the dry twigs were set alight. 

Finally out of danger’s way, Jongin sat himself down, followed closely by Kyungsoo, as he rested his aching head against the cool, smooth cave wall. “How are you feeling?” Kyungsoo asked, gentle fingers caressing Jongin’s jaw, as he meticulously checked over his injuries. There was a bruise forming just above his eyebrow, chin littered with cuts and scrapes, from where he had crash-landed onto the river bank. 

“Bad,” Jongin whined, wincing slightly despite Kyungsoo’s best efforts to be as careful as possible around his wounds, “my head is killing me.” 

Kyungsoo let out a sound of sympathy: “I’m not surprised, you went down pretty hard back there.” 

“Yeah, you’ll be feeling that in the morning,” added Baekhyun. He moved towards the bag Jongin had been carrying, retrieving a blanket, and a clean cloth and handing them both to Kyungsoo. He stepped away then, moving over to his own bag and beginning to prepare a meal for the night. 

Knelt by his side, Kyungsoo grabbed a bottle of water, helping Jongin to take a drink before wetting the cloth that Baekhyun had handed him, and setting about tending to the scrapes on Jongin’s face. “Thank you… for getting us out of that one, Baekhyun.” He said, addressing the other man properly for the first time since they’d arrived at the cave. 

“You’re welcome, but look, despite what you may think, I wasn't gonna let them get us. So, I would really appreciate it if you oh, I don’t know, don’t yell at me next time.” He deadpanned. 

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo apologised, being conscientious enough to look at least a little guilty while he spoke, shooting a wonky smile in Baekhyun’s direction before turning back to finish treating Jongin’s, (thankfully) not too serious injuries. 

From behind him, Baekhyun only laughed, shaking his head but accepting his apology nevertheless. 

“Baekhyun?” Jongin asked, as the cave once again fell into silence. He forced himself to sit up (despite the concern on Kyungsoo’s face), ignoring the way his head spun in order to get a better look at the man on the other side of the cave, “Why do you glow?” Both his and Kyungsoo's eyes flicked over to Baekhyun, waiting with curiosity for the other man to answer. 

“Uh,” Baekhyun started, clearing his throat awkwardly and busying himself with his bag, “if I was to make a guess, I’d say it was some kind of messed up side effect of staying here for too long. Like, I don’t know, a way this realm ties you to the land — entices you to stay… or something.” He shrugged. 

“When did it start?” 

“Oh,” baekhyun seemed slightly surprised by the question, staring off into the distance as if he was trying to rack his brain for the right information, “well, like with all things in this place, it happened, when I was in danger.” 

“It was a few nights after…” He trailed off, “I mean a couple of weeks, or whatever that equates to in here, after I arrived. I was being chased. I hadn’t yet discovered the village, or the safe house and after walking through the forest for days and sleeping rough, I was running kinda low on energy.” He explained, finally allowing himself to sit down as he concentrated on telling the story, “I was just taking a short break, allowing myself to doze off under a tree, when I awoke to find I had slept all the way through dusk, and deep into midnight. At first, I didn’t notice the shadows. I’d been lucky enough to have only a few run-ins with them by that point, managing to keep out of their way, by keeping moving, and avoiding them to the best of my ability. I thought that if I didn’t bother them, they'd most likely leave me alone. Of course, that wasn’t the case,” 

“One by one I started to see them appear, tons of them, more than I had encountered on my entire stay. Not knowing what else to do, I ran. However, the further I went, the more exhausted I became, and in turn, the more shadows seemed to appear. It got to the point that they were surrounding me on all sides, I had nowhere else to go, but I didn’t accept defeat — couldn’t bear to — there was no way in hell, I was gonna die in this ditch of a spirit realm. So I stood my ground. And as I did so, I felt this…” he hesitated, eyes scrunching shut in an attempt to recall the feeling, “this energy.” He concluded, “It sort of came out of the ground, like a hot blast of power that traveled up and collected inside me.” He rested a hand against his chest, “Like I said before, I don’t know how it works, I don’t really know how to control it — not even now! But at that moment, I understood exactly what I had to do to survive.” He fell quiet, eyes darting down to the fire, “I wish I could tell you what happened after that, but I can’t really remember… all I know is I must have passed out, because the next thing I know I’m waking up again, however this time, there are no spirits in sight, and I’m glowing.”

There was a heavy silence in the air. Both Jongin and kyungsoo taking in what Baekhyun had said, and trying to make sense of it. 

Kyungsoo, once again, was the first to speak, breaking the stillness and unspoken tension that had formed: “If it came to you when you were in danger, how do you know it’s not meant to help?” 

“I don’t.” Baekhyun admitted, “But anything that makes living in the place even somewhat bearable could be part of the bigger plan to keep people stuck here. So, I choose not to trust it… “Anyway, enough about me,” he cleared his throat, swiftly changing the conversation, “Eat, and then you two can get some rest, I’ll keep watch tonight as I need to work out the plan for tomorrow, we didn’t get as far as I was hoping.” With that, he was grabbing some food for himself and a blanket before heading back to the entrance of the cave. 

Jongin and Kyungsoo let him go, feeling they couldn't really argue with him after all he’d done for the two of them. 


	4. Together

It was easy for Jongin to find his way back into Kyungsoo’s arms that night. Natural even, as if they were waiting for him, and him alone. He didn’t even have to ask this time, Kyungsoo welcoming him over with a soft, reassuring smile, before he could even open his mouth — the two of them coming together in a tangle of limbs and blankets on the, strangely comfortable, cave floor.

It wasn’t long before sleep took them both under, eyes already heavy and bodies begging for a break. They allowed themselves to give in, feeling warm and almost safe, after a long night of travel. 

***

Dawn arrived all too quickly, and before Jongin had even registered falling asleep, his body was once again jolting awake — the smell of fire smoke infiltrating his senses as the barely there light of a new day trickled through the opening of the cave. It was a fresh morning: the kind of cold that settled into skin and set goosebumps loose over arms. The kind of cold that had Jongin wishing for the blanket of sleep to cover him once more. 

He closed his eyes, attempting to get comfortable once again and allowing himself to drift off, when his stomach gave a loud rumble… so much for getting a bit of a lie in. Sighing, he sat up, rubbing lazily at his eyes before gazing around the cave. It was empty apart from Kyungsoo and himself, Baekhyun being currently nowhere in sight. Despite the initial concern this caused, Jongin didn't think too much of it, instead, yawning and reaching for the sack he knew to contain food. 

It was at that moment that Kyungsoo, who had been snoring gently by his side, the steady inhale and exhale of breath a calming presence for Jongin, woke up. His eyes blinked open, and a sleepy smile slipping onto his face as he gazed up at Jongin. “Morning,” he croaked, pushing himself into a seated position and stretching his arms above his head, how are you feeling, how’s your head?” 

“Better, thank you.” Jongin smiled in return, running his fingers along a couple of the bigger scrapes that had scabbed up over night, “I mean, it’s still a bit tender, but I can hold my head up without wanting to pass out, so that's something at least.” 

“Good,” Kyungsoo chuckled, reaching for the sack and pulling out a bread roll for himself, “Where’s Baekhyun?” 

“Good question,” Jongin scoffed, keeping his voice low, “he wasn't here when I woke up, I bet he went out and got distracted by something…” 

“Probably—” 

Their laughter was interrupted by a cough from the entrance of the cave, the two of them snapping their heads up like students being caught misbehaving by a teacher: “You know I’ve been here all along right? Gosh you two are so rude, even after all I’ve done. Is it really  _ that _ hard to see in this low light?” Baekhyun scolded, his own laughter dieing down when neither Kyungsoo or Jongin joined in.

Despite what they first thought, Baekhyun was in fact sitting in the entrance of the cave, crouched by the smoldering fire, while he continued to stoke the flames with a twig. However, that wasn't the first thing either Jongin or Kyungsoo noticed, eyes drawn inescapably to Baekhyun's more  _ translucent _ forum 

He looked almost otherworldly… the weak rays of drawn light mixing with wisps of fire smoke and seeming, much to their disbelief, to pass directly through Baekhyun like thin air. The only part of him that was visible to the human eye, being a faint silver outline that shimmered with each movement. He wasn't quite as shadowy as the spirits that they’d come to recognise over the past few days, but he certainly wasn't the human they had come to know over the past few days. 

As he took in the sight in front of him, Jongin felt his mouth go dry — hand moving to grasp hold of Kyungsoo’s as he readidy himself to run at the first sign of attack. 

“Come on, guys.” Baekhyun huffed, “Stop looking at me light that… you’re acting as if you’ve seen a ghost.” he offered them a confused smile. As he spoke, he began to change, body slowly but surely materialising until he was once again the solid form that they had been expecting to see all along. 

“Are you… feeling okay, Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo worded his question carefully, attempting to get to the bottom of what they’d just witnessed. 

“Yes? I’m fine, always am!” Baekhyun grinned back, not seeming to have any idea about his less-than-human state mere moments ago, “And luckily for you I’ve come up with a plan for today. So, now that you’ve eaten, help me pack up, we should really get going as soon as possible, if that’s alright?” 

Both Kyungsoo and Jongin nodded silently, keeping a wary eye on Baekhyun as they hurried to get moving. 

*** 

After packing up all their supplies, the group set off, making sure they were all ready to get going, before leaving the safety of the cave and once again following blindly after Baekhyun. 

“I don’t think he knows…” Whispered Kyungsoo. Jongin and he were lagging a few steps behind Baekhyun, stood close as they talked in hushed voices, anxious not to have Baekhyun over hear them. They had been trekking down a narrow path for around five minutes or so. Baekhyun, as always leading the group with confidence, chatting away without a single worry, as he led them deeper into the forest. 

Stepping a fraction of an inch closer, Jongin pushed down the warmth that flooded his chest as Kyungsoo’s hand slipped automatically to the small of his back, enjoying the comfort that came with physical closeness. “Should we tell him?” 

“No,” Kyungsoo shook his head, “not yet at least. Whatever is happening to him, I don’t think it will be a good idea to bring his attention to it. I mean, we don’t want to freak him out or anything. I think for now, unless it happens again, we should just act as if nothing happened… what do you think?” 

“Yeah,” Jongin agreed, “it’s probably best not to bring anything up, at least not until we have a better understanding of it…not if it means jeopardising our way out of here.” 

“I agree—” 

“What are you two whispering about, back there?” Kyungsoo was interrupted mid sentence, as Baekhyun’s voice cut through their hushed conversation. Their heads snapped to attention, bodied tensing as they waited for Baekhyun to suss them out. Their tour guide was walking backwards, eyes trained on the two of them with a mischievous smirk on his face as he watched them interact. 

“Um, we’re talking about Jongin’s injuries… he’s better, but still a little sore from his fall, I was just making sure he was okay…” Kyungsoo improvised, hand rubbing tentatively against Jongin’s back as if to really drive his point home. 

“Oh, well good.” Baekhyun nodded, not seeming any wiser to the situation, “I’m glad you’re alright, by the way… but then again,” his smirk turned into a fully fledged grin, “I can’t say I’m surprised… I mean, I think I too would feel much better if I’d spent the night wrapped in the warm embrace of someone like Kyungsoo.” He joked, spinning on his heels, before wrapping his arms around his torso and sending a wink over his shoulder. 

Now it was Jongin’s turn to splutter, the heat that had been blooming in his chest spreading quickly to his face, “Uh, we’re not um…” he trailed off.” 

In front of them, Baekhyun burst into laughter, “I know, relax,” he wheezed, “I’m just kidding…” he paused, twinkle reappearing in his eye, “Although, having said that… you two do make an attractive pair so maybe you should… you know… keep in touch when this whole ordeal is over.” He shrugged, avoiding their bewildered expressions as he turned back to the path ahead. Jongin and Kyungsoo stared dumbly after him — cheeks painted in a matching shade of red. 

The feeling of warmth had returned to Jongin’s chest, this time stronger than ever. Nerves, excitement, and something akin to hope mixing together. This spark of happiness only continued to grow, when despite Baekhyun’s teasing, Kyungsoo didn't move away, instead allowing his arm to hook comfortably around Jongin’s waist. 

“So, what’s the plan for today?” Jongin ended up asking, eager to get the attention off of them and onto something more neutral. 

It seemed to do the job, Baekhyun clapping his hands together before launching straight in: “Right! Well, because of our run in with the shadows last night, we didn’t get to the foot of the mountain, like I had hopped. This means that today is gonna be spent doing just that.” 

“That seems… too simple.” Kyungsoo stated, “Aren’t we going to at least start the climb, before calling it a night?” 

“Hey, if you want to climb up a mountain after hours of walking, with no lights and a high chance of running into a bunch of angry spirits? Be my guest. I, however, will be getting some well deserved beauty sleep before attempting  _ any of that _ . Trust me, it makes things a lot easier if we don’t push ourselves.” That put an end to the argument, Kyungsoo taking in what Baekhyun had said with a nod before dropping the topic. 

To his side, Jongin swallowed hard, a noticeable prickle of anxiety beginning to form in his stomach when he thought about the final leg of their journey. Kyungsoo, as if noticing this, gave a comforting squeeze to his waist before letting go, and instead taking his hand: actions acting as a reminder that no matter what was waiting for them, they were gonna face it together — as a team. 

  
  


*** 

The dawn period seemed to last a lot longer that day. Morning stretching on as the sky continued to get steadily lighter. 

It was a welcome change, Jongin feeling himself becoming almost lulled into a false sense of security. As if everything over the last two days was just a bad dream, and, at any moment now, he’d wake up well rested, and ready to face whatever a standard day may throw at him. 

Or maybe, and this was a really far reach, it would turn out that Baekhyun was wrong all along — they weren’t in some kind of spirit realm, and any moment now they were bound to turn a corner and see a road, or a person, or a simple way out of all of this. Of course, no matter how much he wished for these things to be true, he knew it wasn't really the case. Allowing the thoughts to linger only because they kept him going — kept him moving, rather than because he actually believed them 

The brighter sky brought a brighter mood — something that was reflected clearly in the way Kyungsoo and Baekhyun interacted with one another: they were happy, and chatty. Laughing and Joking as if they were just a couple of old friends out on a hiking trip, rather than near strangers on the desperate search for the way out of a spirit realm. 

It was good to see. Jongin finally feeling that he could step down as the group mediator, now neither of them were gonna bite each other’s head off at every disagreement. It made the journey easier, more enjoyable even. The three of them working their way through the woodland paths and closer to their destination, in what felt like record time.

They chatted a lot as they walked, Kyungsoo and Jongin finally joining in with Baekhyun’s rambling tales to share their own stories. They talked about their jobs, friends, families — getting to know each other as more than just strangers. “I love cooking.” Kyungsoo admitted at one point. They had been chatting about hobbies, Jongin finishing off the tale of the dance lessons he took when he was younger, and Baekhyun reminiscing about his addiction to gaming, before their eyes had wandered over to Kyungsoo. It hadn’t taken long before he too was admitting one of his passions, his smile almost bashful as he spoke.

“What do you cook? Do you have any specialty dishes?” Jongin asked, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet as he imagined Kyungsoo wearing an apron and pottering around a kitchen (it was a strangely endearing sight). 

“I don’t know about specialties,” he hummed, “but I pride myself on being able to make whatever I set my mind to, there abouts. Or,” he chuckled, “whatever I can come up with, with the ingredients I have lying around. It doesn't really matter at the end of the day, just as long as I’m cooking something. It relaxes me.”

“Well, that’s sorted then!” Baekhyun grinned, jumping in the moment Kyungsoo had finished speaking, “You’ve tempted me now. So, as soon as we get out of here, how about treating us to one of your beautiful home cooked meals? It could be our little celebration.”

“I think that could be arranged,” laughed Kyungsoo, expression drifting off as he contemplated what to cook — mind already planning the extravigant meals he could serve the three of them, “I’ll make us a feast: something fancy, and expensive… something to make up for the scraps we’ve been living off here.” 

“Mmmh, I can’t wait.” Hummed Jongin, his mouth already salivating at the thought of a proper meal, “Honestly, I don’t mind what you cook. Anything is gonna be better than stale bread or slightly bruised fruit… no offence Baekhyun.” 

“None taken. And for what it’s worth, I wholeheartedly agree: we could really do with a decent meal around here. All I ask is that we get something super sweet for dessert, and something alcoholic to drink.” Listed Baekhyun, his words pulling a laugh out of the group, and creating a comfortable atmosphere around them. They really did feel like a group of friends that day, passing the time with funny anecdotes and stupid stories, and making the usually stressful journey actually _ fun _ . 

And, for the first time since they arrived in this less-than-ideal situation, they felt like a real team; finally working together to help one another out. 

***

As the dawn finally progressed into dusk, Jongin couldn’t help but feel almost positive about the day as a whole.

The memory of sharing glances with a stranger at a train station felt so far away now, as if it were something that happened a lifetime ago, rather than a matter of days. It was insane, just how much had changed since then. And, although it was hard — although he wished none of them had been forced into this messed up situation to begin with, he couldn't deny that a part of him (no matter how small), was actually thankful for the opportunities it had presented. Meeting Baekhyun. Getting to know both members of the group. Growing closer to Kyungsoo. All things that would never have happened, had their shared train journey been a normal one. 

He kept these thoughts to himself, the only give away: a small smile etched into his lips as he watched the other two interact. 

“What’s gotten you in such a good mood then?” Baekhyun’s voice chided, a not-so-gentle push on the arm bringing him out of his thoughts.

Jongin shook his head, smile only growing: “I just can’t wait for us all to get out of here.” he stated, gaze bashful as he waited for someone to react. What he saw staring back, was two pairs of soft warm eyes, Baekhyun nodding as if he wholeheartedly agreed. 

“Yeah,” he smiled, “let’s get out of here together.” 

***

They managed to make it to the base of the mountain, just after the midnight period began, the large rock formation towering dizzyingly above them as they slowly but surely neared the base. 

The journey had been easy… almost too easy. The three of them smoothly making their way towards the set destination, while avoiding all spirits, and keeping to the main paths. It was simple, and straight forward, and nothing like the rest of the days had been, all of them feeling (almost) at ease, and (nearly) comfortable as they made their way though twisting path after twisting path. It had helped, of course, that the dawn had stretched on for hours that day, meaning the majority of the spirits were conserving their energy, and hiding away in the places they call home, rather than out, crawling around the forest in search of the three travelers. And to make it better, despite dusk eventually taking away the shreds of light they so relied on: trouble didn't come running, the forest remained calm, and the streetlights on the main path seemed to shine just that little bit brighter. 

Not one of them questioned the sudden change in difficulty almost as if they were scared that saying anything aloud would jinx the situation. Instead, they remained positive, chatting and laughing as they continued to move forward. 

Before either Jongin or Kyungsoo had realised, the cover of trees, that they had become so accustomed to over the past few days, began to thin out. The dirt path quickly being replaced with stone, and the forest being replaced with a steep mountain trail. 

It was unnervingly exposing, leaving the woodland — the safety of the trees being instantly missed as they made it out into the open. There was an umissible feeling of being watched all around them. It settled into the base of their spines, sending shivers through their bodies and making their skin crawl. 

From the base of the mountain, they could see exactly where they needed to head: a twisting rocky path leading their eyes up, and towards an unmistakable station structure. A strong urge to bypass having a rest, and instead attempt to sprint up the mountain _ right at that very momen _ t, washed over Jongin as their final destination came into mind. They were so,  _ so _ close now. He could almost taste the freedom. He was dragged out of these thoughts, when instead of heading forwards and towards the mountain, Baekhyun turned right — leading the group a hundred meters or so down a side path, and over to what looked like yet another cave system. “We’ll rest here for the reminder of the night.” He explained, pushing his way through the shrubby mountain plants and towards a visible cave opening. 

Despite his want to continue, Jongin bit his tongue, not wanting to argue and ruin the calm of the day with his stubborn thoughts. Besides, Baekhyun had warned them that the last leg of the journey wasn't going to be easy (especially at night). So, chances were, arguing would only get them into difficulty, further along the line. 

“I can’t see the train yet,” Kyungsoo noted, eyes trained on the station even after they’d moved away from the main path. 

“Well, that’s a good thing.” Baekhyun nodded, “If we could see the train now, we’d have no chance of getting up there on time.” He explained, voice sounding slightly grim at the thought alone. They’d gotten this far, there was no way they were gonna miss that train. He didn’t spend long gazing up at the mountain, ripping his gaze away and once again heading towards their shelter. 

The cave that they had arrived at was slightly bigger than the last one. Tunnel-like structure giving the impression that it stretched out and into the underside of the mountain itself, connecting one side to the other with winding corridors, and narrow passages. “Whatever you do, don’t go exploring in these caves,” Baekhyun warned, as he sat himself down in a shallow hollowed out room — just to the side of the main corridor, “I have no idea what else uses these caves, so for all I know, I’ve led us directly into some kind of spirit nest…” 

Jongin didn't like the implication of that, trying not to think too much about the creatures they might be sharing a home with for the night. Instead, he busied himself with unpacking, placing his bag down and removing the contents, before joining Kyungsoo in his attempt to set a fire. 

Before long, the cave was illuminated with the warmth of a small fire, the group of three crowding around, as Baekhyun rummaged through his bag for some tins of food to warm. 

“I’ll cook,” Kyungsoo offered, taking the food Baekhyun had collected and trying to decide what to do with it. 

“You don’t have to,” Baekhyun assured, “I mean, I’m sure to someone that actually knows how to cook, the food I’ve collected is pretty pathetic.” He sounded almost self conscious, as if he was ashamed of the limited supplies he’d been able to source. 

Kyungsoo just smiled, “I want to,” he countered, “it will give me something to do. Besides, I promised a meal for the three of us, didn’t I?”

At this statement, Jongin narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, the memory of their conversation on the bridge from the day before coming back to him. He had almost completely forgotten about that… wanted to even, pushing all thoughts of Kyungsoo’s so called  _ interest _ in the spirit realm away, and instead hoping that it had been nothing… a misunderstanding, even. Now however, the same worry crept back into his chest. A wave of anxiety that told him if Kyungsoo wasn't leaving, neither would he. He ignored it for the time being, deciding to bring up his worries with the other man at a different time. 

If Baekhyun picked up on this behaviour, he didn’t let on, passing Kyungsoo the stick he’d been using to stoke the fire with, and grinning from ear to ear: “Well, if you insist,” he shrugged, “but don’t think this is going to get you out of cooking us a proper meal once we get out of here, okay?” 

Kyungsoo didn't answer, smiling warmly down at the food in his hands, as he set about preparing something to eat. 

*** 

In the end, despite the lack of ingredients that Kyungsoo had at his disposal, the food was delicious.

Jongin couldn’t help but watch as he cooked, becoming completely mesmerised by the waves of calm that seemed to roll off him, and into the cave. He was relaxed, at ease, maybe even happy — eyes locked on the fire in front of him, as he hummed quietly to himself, warming the tinned food, and carefully toasting the bread. It was exactly what the group needed, the warmth of the food heating them up from the inside and keeping them going after days of surviving off old bread and bordering on overripe fruit. 

As they ate, Baekhyun began to yawn. It was the first signs of tiredness he had shown since they set off on the journey — eyes heavy and blinking slowly, movements becoming almost sluggish as time went on. “You should get some rest.” Jongin suggested, smiling kindly as Baekhyun let out another long yawn. 

“Yeah, you look pretty shattered,” Kyungsoo agreed, sharing a glance with Jongin, obviously not wanting a repeat of that morning. Jongin had to agree, Baekhyun fading away was not something they needed. Especially not now that they were so close to getting out of there. 

Thankfully, over the course of the day, Baekhyun hadn’t had another episode of translucence. Body and mind seeming as sharp as ever, as he expertly led them towards the mountain. However, this false sense of safety, didn't mean the other party members weren't still concerned, keeping a close eye on their tour guide, and making sure he didn't show any signs of deterioration throughout the walk. Hopefully, now that they should be safe for the night, a proper rest would be exactly what Baekhyun needed to see him through the last push of the journey. 

“I  _ am _ shattered,” Baekhyun agreed, not noticing the subtle glances shared between the other two men, “it’s strange, I haven’t felt actually exhausted in… well, quite a while. Normally I’d be able to keep going with only a couple of hours of sleep here and there, without being affected by fatigue…” He trailed off, any words he might have been planning to say being drowned out by yet another yawn. 

“Well don’t fight it.” Kyungsoo sympathised, “In fact, if it makes you feel better, I’m happy to take first watch. You can rest, and don’t worry, if anything happens I’ll be sure to wake you both up.” He decided, finishing the food before grabbing one of the blankets and making his way towards the entrance of the cave. “If you need anything, I’ll be just out here.” 

With that, he was gone, and Jongin was left staring after him like a lost puppy. Unsure of what to do with himself, now that he was left to his own accords. To his side, Baekhyun didn’t seem to pay him any mind, grabbing his blanket before curling himself up in the far corner of the cave, back to Jongin. He fell asleep the moment his head touched the ground, breath evening out and room once again becoming painfully quiet. 

Unlike Baekhyun, Jongin couldn't sleep. He had tucked himself close to the side of the cave: near enough to the fire to feel the warmth of it’s dying embers, but far enough that the light wouldn’t disturb him. However, despite this, and despite the clear exhaustion in his own bones, he became restless — body unable to get comfortable, eyes scratchy, mind annoyingly awake. It just wasn't right, resting without kyungsoo by his side; the gentle, warm presence that had reassured him and relaxed him over the last two nights currently nowhere to be found. 

And as much as he hated to admit it, he missed it.

After a few long minutes of tossing and turning by himself, Jongin let out a sigh, sitting up from his makeshift bed, before crawling himself over to the cave entrance. Kyungsoo was exactly where he said he would be, tucked into the side of the larger tunnel, with a view of both the outside, and some of the inner chambers. 

It was cold, and dark inside the connecting passageway, and for a moment, Jongin debated turning away and heading back to his makeshift bed. A moment that ended the instant Kyungsoo’s eyes landed on him: “Hey,” he mumbled, voice echoing off the rocky walls despite his low volume, “everything okay?” 

“Yeah,” Jongin nodded, “can’t sleep.” 

“Oh,” Kyungsoo’s eyes sparkled with something reminiscent of their first meeting, a kind of smooth flirtatiousness that Jongin had _ almost _ identified back on the platform, when they were both tired, and waiting for the last train home. The kind of flirtatiousness that had him blushing now, unable to hold the eye contact that Kyungsoo had initiated. “Miss me that much, do ya?” He teased, lifting his blanket at the same time, and waiting for Jongin to slide himself into his personal space. 

“Yeah.” Jongin mumbled back, not feeling at all embarrassed as the truth trickled passed his lips and into the silence. A sense of comfort seemed to wash over him as he closed the space between them, Jongin finding it a little easier to breathe once Kyungsoo’s arm had looped around his waist. 

“I missed you too,” Kyungsoo smiled, any mirth from seconds before dissipating almost instantly. Leaving only a strange tenderness, that had a kaleidoscope of butterflies emerging within Jongin’s warm chest. “This place is weird,” Kyungsoo continued, eyes trained on the unnerving glow of the outside world, as he shuffled himself unconsciously closer to Jongin, “you never know what’s gonna happen day in, day out.” 

Resting his head against Kyungsoo’s shoulder, Jongin let out a hum of agreement, “None of it really makes sense to me,” he confessed, “like the train, the woodland, this mountain… even Baekhyun, part of me doesn’t believe any of it is actually real.” 

Kyungsoo gave a nod, listening to what Jongin was saying without any hint of judgment. Eventually he spoke: “I guess…” he began, looking for the right words, “I guess at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter — what’s real, what’s fake. It’s less about that, and more about how it makes you feel, or how you get through something, or the journey it takes you on… no matter how real, or metaphorical that process might be.” He pondered aloud, tone of voice implying that he’d put a lot of thought into what he’d wanted to say. 

“What do you think then… about this place I mean.” 

“I think… I think I need to take it one day at a time.” 

Considering this for a moment, Jongin couldn’t help but once again think about some of Kyungsoo’s stranger behaviour: the calm that would sometimes settle over him, the far off expressions — kyungsoo seeming to drift off, as if he wasn't quite there: head lost in the woodland, or trapped in his thoughts. The distractions making him seem almost vacant while Baekhyun and Jongin continued on with the usual amount of stress that just existing in this forest seemed to cause them. “I’m worried.” He eventually whispered, biting the bullet and deciding to bring up the topic he’d been most anxious about. 

“Worried?”

Jongin nodded, “About Baekhyun, about tomorrow… and,” he hesitated, “I’m worried about you, Kyungsoo.” 

Kyungsoo seemed slightly taken about by his statement, as if everything had made perfect sense until Jongin had mentioned him, words pulling his attention away from the outside world, and over to Jongin. 

Jongin raised his head, allowing their eyes to meet, as he waited for Kyungsoo to react. 

“You’re worried about me?” 

“Yeah,” Jongin didn’t back down, nodding firmly, “you seem… I don’t know, distant, reluctant to leave, maybe.” He explained, watching as Kyungsoo’s eyes darted away, expression almost guilty, “It’s not all the time, but just sometimes. And I can’t help but wonder if you really think we have a chance of getting out tomorrow?” 

“I do.” Kyungsoo stated, “I do believe we have a chance — a good one at that. And I trust Baekhyun… against my better judgement… But,” he paused, “sometimes there’s this strange doubt inside me, like a calling saying things would be easier here. I don’t believe it, obviously. But it clouds my reasoning, fills me with this strange calm, reminding me that nothing matters. I don’t really know what it is, or  _ why it is _ ,” the hand around Jongin’s waist squeezed a little tighter, “But it’s nothing you need to worry about. I want… to get out of here…” There was something almost unsure in Kyungsoo’s voice as he spoke, as if he knew they were the right words to say, but couldn’t find it within himself to believe them. Not completely, at least.

For now, Jongin let it pass, pleased with the amount Kyungsoo has chosen to share with him and holding on to the thought of escape like a narrow life line. “Let's make a promise then.” He decided, attempting to lighten the situation a little.

“A promise?” Now, Kyungsoo sounded slightly amused. 

“Uh huh, a promise to meet up when we get out of here. A promise to continue on from where we _didn’t quite start_ at the station. You know, maybe get to know each other outside of this ridiculous spirit realm… _or_ _whatever this place really is_.” He stated, knocking their shoulders together in a playful manner. 

“Isn’t meeting up already decided,” Kyungsoo joked back, purposely avoiding the question, “I mean, Baekhyun was very eager to try some of my cooking.” 

“You know what I mean,” Jongin couldn’t help but chuckle, biting his lip as he shook his head. 

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo let out a laugh, “I know what you mean… and for what it’s worth, I’d be down for it. Finding you. I mean, you did kinda catch my eye from the moment you entered the station. I wanted to get to know you then,” he confessed, “but—”

“—it wasn’t the right time.” Jongin complete his sentence, their eyes locking once more, the same unplaceable warmth reflected within them. 

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo nodded. They were sitting close, the small blanket not leaving any room between them. Kyungsoo’s arm was still wrapped tightly around Jongin’s waist, their legs pressed snugly together. 

No longer anxious about the lack of space between them, Jongin allowed himself to relax into the moment. Kyungsoo: a constant source of peace, keeping him warm — keeping him safe. His heart began to flutter just that little bit more noticeably. “I wish we could have met in different circumstances,” he sighed. 

“Hmm? What kind of circumstances?” Chanced Kyungsoo, voice mellow and unhurried.

“Well, preferably before midnight, for a start…” Jongin mused, mind drifting into daydreams of  _ what if _ and  _ why not _ , his statement pulling a quiet chuckle out of Kyungsoo.

“Maybe we would have met during the evening. I would be on my way home from a normal day in the office, and maybe you’d be heading out somewhere. Perhaps the train would be a little busy, so we’d end up standing next to each other. I’d  _ accidentally _ stumble into you, just to start a conversation and then we’d be talking for the rest of the journey. We’d get off at the same stop, and you’d ask me to grab a drink with you. Of course, I couldn’t turn that down, and I’d allow you to lead me somewhere nice, somewhere quiet—” He continued to ramble, painting beautiful images of what could have been, if only they had met at a different time, or a different place, or a different day — heart aching a little more prominently at each word that left his mouth. 

Kyungsoo didn’t seem to mind the turn their conversation had taken, humming along to whatever he said; his eyes never once leaving Jongin’s face, as if he didn’t want to miss a single second of the story that wasn’t quite theirs, clinging hold of a past that they could never have. “—And then as the evening came to a close” He jumped in as Jongin felt himself trailing off, “I’d give you my number and tell you to call me. I might, if I’m feeling bold enough, even try to kiss you,” he smiled, a faint blush of his own trailing up his neck, “but, understandably, you’d tell me to wait… saying something along the lines of not kissing on the first date.” 

“That sounds like something I’d do.” the pair shared a laugh, heads tilting together as they shifted themselves impossibly closer, “apart from,” the two of them quietened, words almost a whisper now as they became hyper aware of just how close they were pressed, “as soon as we had parted ways,” he swallowed, eyes darting down to kyungsoo’s perfectly distracting lips, “I’d turn back, making my way through the crowd once again, so I could kiss you — just once, just to let you know that I felt the same way… that I’d been wanting to kiss you, from the moment we met… because, I have. I have wanted to kiss you, Kyungsoo, from the moment I first caught sight of you.” He finished, watching as Kyungsoo’s own eyes darted down, throat bobbing slightly as he listened to Jongin’s words. 

“Well,” Kyungsoo murmured, “it's a pity then, we never got that chance.” As he spoke, he began to move forward, eyes flitting up as if to ask for permission. Permission Jongin was all too happy to grant. Breath catching like a bad cliche, as he moved to close the space between them. 

Kissing Kyungsoo was everything Jongin had wished it would be: His lips were slightly chapped, but still plush and soft against his own, Jongin felt his eyes flutter shut as he allowed the sensation to draw him in. It was captivating, their bodies gravitating towards each other, hands clinging on, almost desperately, as the two of them let go of the messed up reality they had landed in, allowing themselves to dream, just for a moment. 

Their noses brushed, fingers leaving feather light trails wherever they traveled, hearts beating in perfectly imperfect syncopation. It was overwhelming, in the best of ways, the kind of feeling that set a fire deep within Jongin, heating him up and spreading happiness throughout his entire being — a moment that he wished would never end. 

Unfortunately, even the best things must eventually come to a stop. Kyungsoo was the first to break the kiss, resting his forehead against Jongin’s own, as the two of them regained their breath. He was smiling, lips stretched in a heart shaped, heart stopping grin, as his eyes remained shut. 

Jongin’s own face held the same expression, hands still smoothing over Kyungsoo’s arms as a burst of giddy laughter escaped his lips. “That was…” 

“A long time coming.” Kyungsoo finished for him, brushing a hand through Jongin’s hair before looping it once again around his waist, “I’m sorry that we waited so long to do that.” 

“Me too,” Jongin agreed, head slipping back to its previous position on Kyungsoo’s shoulder as he allowed his eyes to fall shut, “But hey, now that we have,” he yawned, “I wouldn’t mind trying it again sometime.” 

As if to answer, Kyungsoo pressed a kiss against Jongin’s head, pulling him slightly closer, as Jongin finally began to doze off. 


	5. The Last Chance

Jongin awoke to the smell of damp air, and a slight crick in his neck, body twisting and turning to wake itself. His head was resting in Kyungsoo’s lap, body curled in on itself in an attempt to stay warm, thin blanket tucked up around his shoulders. 

He shivered, vague memories of his dreams from the night before coming back to him as he came to consciousness. They had been weird dreams, feeling too real, and too perfect to be true. Keeping him entrapped in a false sense of calm that left a bad taste behind. As if someone, or something, was taking his thoughts and changing them. Blurring the lines of reality to paint a different outcome.

In his dreams he’d seen himself and Kyungsoo — happy, together, calm and well. For the first time, things had seemed normal, relaxing even. Just the two of them and miles upon miles of beautiful woodland to thrive in. In his dreams it had been bright, sunny even. Warm rays stretching out over the trees and casting mottled yellow beams onto their faces. However, as perfect as it was, it had felt false, and wrong, as if at any moment the mask of perfection would fall away. At any moment the true nature of the forest would come tumbling down once again.

“Morning,” Kyungsoo hummed from above him, snapping Jongin out of his half dream state, and into the new day, “I think dawns about to start.” He continued, a far away look in his eyes, as he gazed passed Jongin and out into the dull light. 

“Morning,” Jongin yawned back, rubbing hazy yellow sunlight away from his eyes, and blinking into the same cold  _ almost-morning grey, _ that he had begun to expect, “have you slept yet?” 

“No,” Kyungsoo admitted, shaking his head, “but don’t worry, it’s not like I’m tired or anything, I’ll just rest once we get to the train station.” He assured, running a hand through Jongin’s messy hair, as his eyes finally flitted down to meet his — the same warmth from the night prior still present, as he gazed over Jongin’s sleep ridden appearance. “Did you sleep well?” He asked, smile heart wrenchingly tender as he spoke, as if all his thoughts and feelings revolved around Jongin’s own happiness and comfort.

  
  


Jongin nodded, “I think so,” he agreed, allowing his eyes to slip shut once more as he relaxed into the other man’s touch, “weird dreams though.” He added as a second thought, mind still trying to piece together the blurry memories. 

“Oh,” was Kyungsoo’s only reaction, as if he didn’t quite know what to say to the situation. In the end, he settled on: “I’m glad you got some rest.” 

There was a sound of movement from the mouth of the cave, before Baekhyun was sticking his head out of the entrance, and sitting himself down beside them — usual breakfast of bread and fruit in hand. “You two alright?” He asked, tired eyes blinking slowly as he attempted to wake himself up, “I didn’t know where you were, but I heard you talking and—” he cut off his own rambling, “Have you both slept?” 

“Yes,” Kyungsoo answered, at the exact same time Jongin shook his head: 

“No, I mean, I’ve slept but Kyungsoo hasn’t yet.” 

“You haven’t?” Baekhyun seemed surprised, blinking vacantly at him with a crease between his eyebrows, “Kyungsoo, you should have woken me up, I wouldn’t have minded sharing the shift.” 

At his statement, Kyungsoo only shook his head, eyes flicking away from their tour guide and back to the lightening sky: “No, look it doesn’t matter. I wasn’t gonna say anything because I didn’t want you to think I wouldn’t be able to make the journey today. I’m fine.” He assured, “In fact, I feel more awake and alert than I have for a while.” Shrugging, he took the food Baekhyun had offered before turning is attention back to the world outside, “Besides, you two needed the rest.” 

Across from him, Baekhyun continued to frown. Lips thinning into a narrow line as he listened to what Kyungsoo had said. It looked as if he wanted to add something, challenge Kyungsoo perhaps, or at least scold him for being reckless. However, and much to Jongin’s relief, he held his tongue, instead letting out a hum of acknowledgement before moving back into the cave. “Right,” he called from inside, “I guess we’d better get moving then.” 

*** 

Making their way up the side of a mountain, with unstable stones underfoot, and a sheer drop behind them, was not half as easy as Jongin had hoped. Something he found out almost as soon as they set off on the journey. 

Without the covering of trees, the air was colder, and thinner especially the higher they climbed. Making it almost painful to breathe with each step they took. “ _ Crap _ ,” Jongin panted, “are we almost there?” He questioned, voice conveying just how difficult he was already finding this climb. 

The mountain really was steep, path worn, but definitely not smooth, the dust of crushed rocks making the surface somewhat hazardous, and coating their shoes in a fine layer of white. 

“I’m afraid not,” Baekhyun grunted from his position ahead, continuing to trudge onwards and upwards as he spoke, “we haven’t even reached the settlement yet, and that’s the halfway point,” 

“Settlement?” Kyungsoo questioned from the back of the group, voice once again taking on more of an untrusting tone. 

“Yeah,” Baekhyun nodded choosing to ignore his defensive tone, “it’s kind of like the village from the woods, there are a few buildings dotted around in a street like formation. Spirits just seem to collect there… like with the village, they seem to be drawn to it… or something.” He shrugged, “Oh, and I should warn you, these ones are pretty fast — it’s hard to hide from them without the cover of the forest so try and conserve a bit of your energy, as we may need to run.” He sent a grin over his shoulder, Attempting to make light of a rather heavy situation in order to brighten the somewhat low mood of the group.

An attempt that unfortunately went completely misunderstood by Kyungsoo who, upon hearing this, narrowed his eyes. He stopped dead in his tracks, folding his arms defensively before addressing the situation: “Wait a minute… so, you’re telling me your  _ great _ plan is just to lead us headfirst into a bunch of angry spirits?” He snapped, raising his voice. And literally putting his foot down before Baekhyun could get a word in edge way, “I’m sorry, but I’m not going along with that.” 

Baekhyun, who up until that point had been ignoring Kyungsoo’s complaints, halted his movement, turning slowly on the spot in order to face Kyungsoo. 

Trapped between the two, Jongin winced, already not liking the way this conversation was turning, or the obvious accusation in Kyungsoo’s voice, once again finding himself caught in the center of a standoff. “Kyungsoo…” he whispered, “Baekhyun knows what he’s doing, let’s just stick to the plan, yeah?” He pleaded, hoping to distil the situation before it could get any worse. 

“ _ Does _ he know what he’s doing, though?” Kyungsoo shot back, narrowed eyes still trained on Baekhyun as he spoke, “I mean, you said so yourself, none of this really makes sense, yet we’ve been following this guy around like he’s some rightful leader, when in reality he could be  _ leading _ us to nowhere.”

“Kyungsoo,” Jongin shook his head, tugging gently on his hand now, “I don’t think you actually believe that… what happened to taking things one day at a time?” 

“I...?” Kyungsoo seemed to hesitate, glare landing on Jongin but eyes no longer portraying the same anger form before. Instead, they shone with something else: a doubt, a glimmer of worry, before he quickly hardened his gaze once more, turning it back on Baekhyun with a new force. “Maybe I mean every single word.” He growled, “Maybe it's just taken me all this time to admit it. I mean,” He began to address Baekhyun, taking a step forward in order to meet him at the same level, on the uneven terrain, “how do  _ you _ even know the train is gonna stop at this so-called  _ mountain station _ ? For all we know you’re just making this up as you go along.” He folded his arms, eyes hard as he continued to stare the other man down. 

A silence enveloped the group. The quiet that seemed to thrive within this realm, swallowing them whole. Disrupted only by a broken laugh, that escaped the lips of their _ tour guide _ : “How do I know?” Baekhyun questioned, slowly lifting his gaze from the floor until he was facing the two other men, the paths incline giving him a significant height advantage over them, despite Kyungsoo’s best efforts to change that. “ _ You _ want to know how I’m certain about this?” He exclaimed, expression hard as he stared down at the two of them. “Fine, I’ll tell you then. I know, because I’ve done it before. That’s how!” He snapped, eyes narrowing to match Kyungsoo’s. “Now,” He seethed, “are you going to continue to doubt me, or are you going to shut up and keep walking?” 

Another silence descended upon them, this one somehow heavier than the last — stealing their words and blocking their throats. Kyungsoo, who looked as if he was about to say something, closed his mouth. He darted his eyes away, refusing to hold any contact after Baekhyun’s unexpected explosion. 

Jongin, on the other hand, kept watching — confusion furrowing his brow as he took in what Baekhyun had said. “What do you mean  _ you’ve done it before _ ?” He found himself asking, when no one made a move to continue turning his body away from Kyungsoo in order to address the third member of their group, “Why are you here, if you’ve done this before?” 

“Uh,” Baekhyun let out a long sigh, scratching at his neck awkwardly as if he just realised what words had come tumbling out, “I wasn't… I mean…” he sighed, letting out a curse under his breath before eventually giving in, “Chanyeol made it out… I… fell behind.” He sounded disappointed as he spoke, as if he hadn’t been planning on saying any of that to them, scuffing his shoe against the ground in the way a moody teenager might, “So… are you happy now? Can you trust me?” He questioned, clearing his throat and turning away from the other two, “Because, if it’s okay with you, I’d rather not miss it this time.” 

With a pang of guilt rising within him, Jongin nodded, feeling bad for blurting out the question before considering whether or not it might be a sensitive topic. 

Kyungsoo, on the other hand, wasn’t so accepting of the half assed explanation, still refusing to budge even once Baekhyun had started moving. “Who’s Chanyeol, Baekhyun?” He murmured, quiet voice cutting through the stillness like a knife. “Are you ever gonna ever tell us that, or is it yet another mystery we have to live with? You know, if you want us to trust you, you’re gonna have to open up sooner, rather than later.” 

“Fine.” Baekhyun grit out, turning again to face the two other men, before letting out a sigh of defeat and sitting himself down in the middle of the path. He looked smaller now, less of the loud, bordering on arrogant personality from before, and more… tired. The same expression of longing lingering in his suddenly weary eyes: “Chanyeol…” He let out a shaky breath, “Chanyeol is my boyfriend.” There was a pause, neither Jongin or Kyungsoo said a word “We had been out celebrating my birthday, and like I said before we were pretty drunk, so I guess we kinda just stumbled into this place without even noticing…” He trailed off, gazing over the forest below, as if attempting to remember the events that lead him to being there.

“What happened,” Jongin coxed, sitting to the side of Baekhyun and waiting for Kyungsoo to join them — he didn’t, instead choosing to stay standing. 

“Nothing, to begin with.” He chuckled dryly, “We thought it was funny at first, you know, larking about in some random woods in the middle of the night, but of course we came to our senses… eventually. And with the first dawn, came our hangovers and suddenly being stuck in a random woodland didn’t seem all that fun, or exciting.” Sighing, he shook his head at the memory, “Anyway, we managed to walk for — who knows how long? Looking for any recognisable landmarks, when the mountain decided to show itself to us, by this point we were hungry and tired and we could see the light of the station and decided that heading towards it was the best way forward. You see, we hadn’t met any spirits at this point… Of course that didn’t last for long, and like you,” he tilted his head in Kyungsoo’s direction, “Chanyeol ended up touching one. Well, as I’m sure you can imagine things got a lot harder then. He started to slow down, body becoming trapped by this realm, keeping him here. In the end I used the rest of my strength to help him get onto the train. But I guess I was a bit too slow for myself.” He sighed, keeping his gaze down cast, as he talked, “I’ve been alone since, searching just in case he came back for me… I wouldn’t put it past him to try.” Baekhyun let out a watery laugh, sniffling discreetly before pushing himself back into a standing position, “I miss him a lot.” He added quietly, as if the words weren’t meant for anyone but himself, a split second slip of vulnerability emerging as he finished his story. 

It was out there now, the truth — laid bare for all to see. Baekhyun took a deep breath, running a trembling hand across his face before turning away. 

“Baekhyun?” Jongin whispered, waiting for the other man to give a hum of acknowledgement before continuing, “When… is your birthday? If you don’t mind me asking that is.” 

“Oh, uh,” Baekhyun finished wiping his eyes, clearing his throat before speaking, “Sixth of May.” There was a pause, Jongin taking in what he’d said with a heavy heart. “Why do you need to know?” 

“Oh um I… it's just…” Jongin felt himself trailing off.

“—You’ve been here for just over eight months.” Kyungsoo finished, anger from before completely washing away, as the two of them watched Baekhyun’s expression fall. 

“Eight months. I’ve been missing for  _ eight  _ months?” He ran a hand through his hair, scrunching his eyes shut and shaking his head, “He must be so worried about me…” 

“Well,” Jongin approached Baekhyun, patting his arm reassuringly, “if everything goes to plan, he won't have to wait much longer.” He smiled, attempting to relight the sparks of positivity that had been lost over the last few minutes. “Let’s get out of here, together, just like we’ve planned.” He finished, looking between both Baekhyun and Kyungsoo as he spoke. 

In front of him, Baekhyun forced a smile, nodding, before once again taking the lead.

***

Unlike the day before, dawn and dusk seemed to bleed into one another, creating a strange kind of twilight that messed with the groups eyes, and made the journey towards the station a whole lot more difficult than it already was. 

By the time night began to properly close in, Jongin had managed to painfully twist his ankle, Baekhyun had slipped clumsily against the loose rocks, and Kyungsoo was lagging significantly behind. The three of them, already tired, lungs bursting from the uphill trek and legs just about ready to give out. 

Conversation had been rather sparse since Baekhyun had shared his story, and because of this the time spent walking seemed to drag on for a lot longer than it should have. Night stretching out like a never ending void. 

It was hard to stay positive, in a situation like that. 

“Right,” after what felt like hours had passed since anyone had last addressed the group, Baekhyun’s voice cut through the silence, snapping Jongin out of his thoughts and back to the situation at hand, “we’ll be coming up to the village soon, it can get pretty hectic around there, so I suggest we try and take the long route round, rather then cut directly through.” He explained, pace not slowing as they continued up the narrow path, “It’s hard to miss, but keep an eye out anyway, we don’t want too many spirit run-ins this close to the station.” 

From just behind him, Jongin and Kyungsoo let out a sound of agreement, heads low and paces steady as Baekhyun led them closer to their destination. 

“Are you alright?” Jongin murmured, slowing his strides in order to give Kyungsoo a chance to catch up, “You’ve been pretty quiet back there.” It was true, since the minor confrontation near the beginning of the walk, Kyungsoo had kept mostly to himself, taking up the back of the group in order to keep an eye on anything that might be sneaking up behind them. 

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo sighed, face pulling into a weary smile, “I’m okay, pretty tired though… maybe I should have gotten some rest.” 

Jongin bit the inside of his lip, trying to control the expression of concern that threatened to spill across his features.  _ Of course _ Kyungsoo should have gotten some rest, that was a no brainer, however, there was no point arguing about that now, not when they were well on their way out of there. Instead, he reached out a hand, offering his support to Kyungsoo in the only way he knew how, and feeling at least a little happy when the other man took it in return. The same soft, yet calloused hands that Jongin had taken comfort in so many times, now gripping tightly to his — as if Jongin was his anchor to reality. They shared a look, unspoken words passed between them with a squeeze of a hand, before they turned to the path ahead of them. 

***

Just as Baekhyun had told them, the mountain settlement was impossible to miss. It was absolutely massive… or atleast, a lot bigger than the village had been — stretching up over the side of the mountain like a forest of concrete buildings and twisting streets. 

From where they stood, a good couple of hundred meters away, the group of three could see right through the main street and up to where the station stood proudly. A beacon of light against the otherwise dark, midnight blue sky. 

From where they stood, a good couple of hundred meters away _ , _ they could also see an alarming amount of shadow creatures that roamed that very street. There were tons of them. A mass of darkness that spread like a river of tar through the settlement, twisting through the streets and blocking every main road that would lead them to the otherside. 

Jongin sucked in a breath at the sight, a pit of dread settling deep inside him at the mere thought of being anywhere near that amount of spirits. He held tightly onto Kyungsoo’s hand, reluctant to let go this close to possible danger. “I thought you said there were only a few buildings dotted around… this place is practically a city.” He hissed towards Baekhyun, feeling his body tense up — he wasn’t prepared for this, not in the least bit. 

Baekhyun, on the other hand, seemed unaffected by the sight, eyes scanning momentarily over the hordes or spirits, before gazing off to the side, “Did I say that?” He murmured, voice monotone and distant, eyes locked, unblinking on the station. “Um, I guess I underestimated things a little… If it's alright with you, I’d rather not hang around here for too long,” He concluded, keeping his voice low, even with the distance between them and the entrance of the village, “unless you feel you need a short break, that is?” As he finished talking, he finally turned away from the station, eyeing the two other men expectantly as he waited for them to answer. 

Jongin glanced at Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo darted his eyes away. He cleared his throat, nodding once before talking: “I’m fine. I can keep going.” 

“Me too.” Jongin agreed, eyes not leaving Kyungsoo as he spoke. 

Baekhyun continued to eye them somewhat apprehensively, pursing his lips before nodding: “Okay,” He eventually agreed, “this is the way we’ll be heading.” He said, tilting his head in the direction of a smaller path, “Like I mentioned before, it's a slightly longer route, but as we’ve made it this far, I highly doubt another half an hour or so is going to make much of a difference. This will lead us up and over the village, cutting our chances of meeting up with a bunch of spirits by a good majority, and hopefully, in the long run, making the journey easier.” 

Jongin looked in the direction Baekhyun had indicated, eyes trailing over a narrow path that seemed to double back on itself before eventually taking them around the far edge of the settlement. It was narrow, and steep, and Jongin couldn’t help but doubt Baekhyun words of positivity.

“Alright,” Kyungsoo nodded, “lead the way.” 

With one last far away smile, Baekhyun set off, creeping carefully down one path with both Jongin and Kyungsoo close behind. “Keep low,” he instructed as the rocky trail began to narrow even more, “we’re quite exposed up here.” The others did as they were told, crouching behind boulders and generally trying to keep out of sight of the settlement to the side. 

Unlike the majority of the paths leading up to this point, the mountain village was shrouded in streetlights. The orange glow casting long blue shadows against the barren landscape, and thankfully illuminating their way forward. It made things almost bearable, in a so far rather unbearable journey. 

More time passed them by. The group of three stayed quiet as they navigated their way along the path — keeping a watchful eye on the village below as they did so. So far so good. There was no unusual movement or disturbance coming from the nearby streets, spirits visible, but otherwise kept busy by their usual nightly routine. 

It was strange, being so close to them, but without any imminent danger; the high pathway giving them a good perspective of the settlement as a whole. For the first time in a long time, Jongin felt himself breathe a sigh of relief; letting his guard down and allowing his tension to somewhat dissipate. 

In his position at the head of the party, Baekhyun too seemed to be in a lighter mood, letting go of the past argument and becoming more himself once again. 

Kyungsoo, on the other hand, was still quiet. He walked, a step or two behind Jongin, hand still held loosely in his grip, eyes cast straight ahead. “It's weird… the things you see in the dark.” He panted, eyes blinking vacantly off. 

“What do you mean?” Jongin breathed back, they were so close to the station by that point, lights shining brighter with every step, path slowly but surely levelling out. Nothing but the last push of the journey between them and freedom. 

“Well,” Kyungsoo continued, “I could have sworn I saw the moon for a second… I felt like it was watching me.” 

“What did you say?” Jongin asked, glancing over his shoulder but not finding enough energy to fully turn around. 

“I felt like it was watching me — us — following us. But I don’t see it anywhere now, it must have just been the light.” He yawned, eyes closing and pace slowing considerably. 

His words had Baekhyun stopping in his path, body stiff as he turned to face the other two: “Kyungsoo, stop it.” He instructed, level voice failing to hide the real panic he was feeling. 

“He’s not doing anything!” Jongin countered, tightening his grip on Kyungsoo’s hand and moving to block any of Baekhyun’s advances. “Look it's been a long day, I know you two haven’t been on the best of terms, but I’m not gonna stand for you having a go at him when all he’s doing is speaking.” 

“No!” Baekhyun shook his head, pushing past Jongin and tentatively making his way towards Kyungsoo, “I’ve seen this before.” He murmured, “But I thought it wouldn’t happen this time… I mean, you’ve eaten food from this realm, you’ve had plenty of time to adjust, this shouldn’t be happening.” 

“What shouldn’t be happening?” Jongin demanded, once again stepping in-between the two of them. 

“He’s dreaming,” Baekhyun explained, “That's how this place works: you touch a spirit and the idea takes hold, dragging you down and keeping you here. However, the place is quite clever, it knows a human wouldn’t be able to live here for long, so in order to convince you, to trick you, it begins to paint a picture of what you really want. A future here, a chance to stay and be happy. It starts as dreams — snaps shots of what life could be like. It only becomes a problem when they start happening while you’re still awake.” 

“Dreams,” Jongin breathed, thinking back to the night before, the sunlight had felt so warm, so real. The happiness of being with Kyungsoo in such a beautiful place resting heavily in his mind, “I’ve been having dreams, dreams of this place.” He explained, worry rising within him. 

“Have you touched a spirit?” 

“No!” 

“Well, then we haven’t got much time,” Baekhyun’s voice sounded grim as he spoke. He passed Jongin, grabbing Kyungsoo by the arm and motioning for Jongin to do the same, “It’s gonna get harder the closer we get to the station, we’ve got to give him all the strength we can.” He explained. 

Together, the three of them pushed on. It was like a repeat of the first night, Jongin working with Baekhyun this time to half drag, half carry Kyungsoo. It was hard, despite there being three of them, and as they neared the entrance of the station, Jongin felt the last trickle of hope drain out from his body.

They came to a halt. Breathing hard, legs shaking and eyes inescapably drawn to the huge cluster of spirits that had surrounded the station. 

A ring of them stood, shoulder to shoulder, bodies blurring together until they morphed into a mass of shadow; protecting the entrance, and in turn keeping them well away from it. 

“ _ Fuck. _ ” Baekhyun hissed, hanging his head in defeat. He let his arm drop from Kyungsoo’s back, stepping away from the pair before collapsing into a knelt position — face an expression of disappointment, as he watched the shadows grow steadily deeper. “They were expecting us.” 

Jongin didn’t know what to do, body unmoving as he took in the scene in front of him. 

This couldn’t be happening. 

This couldn’t be real. 

There had to be another way. 

Just as these thoughts were circling around his mind, Kyungsoo, resting securely against his side, began to speak once more: “Thank you, Jongin.” He mumbled, “We hardly even know each other outside of this messed up place, and yet, you’ve stayed by my side throughout it all.” Kyungsoo said, managing to stand himself up in order to cup his hands gently against Jongin’s face. Soft yet calloused fingers brushing delicately over his skin, “No matter whether I’ve been rude, or purposely antagonistic, you’ve always managed to talk me down, get me back on track.” 

“How couldn’t I?” Jongin blinked rapidly, unable to stop the flow of words that began to rush out of him, “It’s not about how long we’ve known each other. It’s about staying together, it’s about supporting each other. It's about giving a helping hand to those who need it!” He explained, hands gripping tight to Kyungsoo’s rumpled suit jacket, “You’ve been doing all of that and more for me from the moment we met, Kyungsoo, you’d be stupid if you thought I was gonna make you suffer alone.” 

In front of him, Kyungsoo let out a low, smooth, melodic chuckle, eyes shining with nonexistent stars as he continued to gaze at Jongin, “I think I’m in love with you, Jongin.” He confessed, words making Jongin’s breath catch in his throat, eyes welling with tears that couldn’t quite fall, “And I’m sorry… I’m sorry I’m saying this now, and I’m sorry it's such a rush. But just in case I don’t get to say it again, I didn’t want to miss my chance.” he smiled a sad, longing smile, eyes seeming to trace over Jongin’s features, as if trying to commit them to memory: “I hope you can forgive me for this.” And with that, he was leaning in planting his lips against Jongin’s in a sweet, tender kiss. It was a sudden, unexpected move, but Jongin didn’t question it, pushing back into the kiss like his life depended on it. Lips: a bruising force. Hands: clinging desperately to one another, before, much to Jongin’s horror, Kyungsoo was pushing away and towards the wall of spirits.

With no time to react, Jongin let out a strangled cry, hands reaching desperately to hold on to Kyungsoo. Watching with bated breath as the other man seemed to slip between his fingers, body moving faster than he was able to predict. Jongin felt his stomach drop at the sight, tired legs quickly regaining their momentum as he dived frantically after him. “Kyungsoo!”

“What are you doing!” The distant sound of Baekhyun’s voice screamed, the third member of their group watching in disbelief as the other two other men launched themselves dangerously close to the wall of shadows. 

Looking up at the sound, Jongin’s foot caught on a loose stone. He stumbled, body tumbling forward before crashing forcefully into Kyungsoo’s side. 

For a moment there was stillness. Time slowed down. All noise stopped. And then, a pair of arms were wrapped securely around Jongin’s waist, and the two of them were propelled into the centre of the shadow wall. 

***

_ The first thing that Jongin registered as he opened his eyes, was darkness. Nothing else. No landscape, no mountain, no light, no Kyungsoo. Just pitch black shadow that surrounded him on all sides, blocking his view and making it impossible for him to determine which way was up.  _

_ The next thing he noticed was the silence. Like with the rest of the spirit realm, there was no sound there. However, unlike when walking through the forest, not even his heart beat could be heard — shallow breathing hardly registering throughout the void.  _

_ There was no breeze, nothing solid, not even a noticeable temperature. Just him, and the empty expanse of nothing.  _

_ “Hello,” he tried, voice a muffled, distant sound to his ears as he spoke, giving the impression that he was underwater, or buried deep underground.  _

_ For a moment, it seemed nothing was going to reply. Silence stealing his words away without even a moment's acknowledgement. Then, out of the darkness, something moved, a sound that could almost be described as a voice speaking back: “Hello.” It mirrored, tone weak and quiet, as if it was being carried to him on the wind.  _

_ “What is this place?”  _

_ “It could be peaceful.” Whispered the voice in the dark, “It could be everything you want it to be. Why leave, when you can have everything here?”  _

_ “You’re wrong,” Jongin huffed, not enjoying the way the voice dodged his question, “I don’t want to be here.” He stated firmly, “I want my life back, I want to help Baekhyun get home.”  _

_ “But what about Kyungsoo?” The wind like voice taunted, Jongin could practically picture it smiling, a sharp toothy grin splitting its face as it gripped tight onto one of Jongin’s loose ends, “Don’t you want a life with him?”  _

_ As it spoke, the darkness seemed to melt away, replaced with bright yellows and pastel greens, before Jongin once again found himself standing on the long red bridge. Kyungsoo was beside him, hand clasped around his own, signature heart shaped smile gracing his face as he stared at Jongin with nothing but warm love in his eyes. A sense of calm seemed to wash over him, sunlight warming his back as he allowed himself to breathe out a sigh of relief.  _

_ Around him, he could hear a distant sound of gentle running water, birds singing to one another, leaves rustling from the warm breeze.  _

_“Where did you go just now, Jongin?” Kyungsoo asked, smoothing his soft thumb over Jongin’s knuckles as he_ _continued to speak, “You zoned out for a moment.”_

_ “Did I?” Jongin heard himself say, eyes blinking against the brightness of the day while he attempted to make sense of the reality around him. There was something not quite right about the scene as a whole — something that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.  _

_ “Yeah,” Kyungsoo laughed… it was a strangely empty sound, “but it’s okay, I’ve got you now…”  _

_ Jongin couldn’t help but frown at that, eyes drifting away from Kyungsoo and back over the river, “How did we get here?” He asked, “And where’s Baekhyun?”  _

_ “Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo questioned. The picturesque scene seemed to twitch, “I don’t know anyone named Baekhyun?”  _

_ As the words left his mouth, Jongin spun around, eyes landing on the moon that appeared to be shining in the sun's place, artificial brightness bouncing off the surface and into his eyes. “You’re not Kyungsoo.” He croaked, shaking his head and pushing himself away, “Not my Kyungsoo. What have you done with him?” He cried out, sight blurring as the landscape once again faded away, warmth leaving and darkness returning.  _

_ “Oh, alright. You got me. That wasn’t Kyungsoo, it was just a reflection of your dreams… Don’t worry, he’s fine. In fact, I’d imagine he’s having a very similar dream to you right about now.” Said the voice, suddenly a lot closer than Jongin remembered. He felt himself flinch, taking a step back in a desperate attempt to distance himself.  _

_ “What are you?”  _

_ “Nothing you need to concern yourself with. I am but an accumulation of souls.” _

_ “An accumulation of souls?” Who’s souls? Souls of what?” Have others been trapped here before? Or are you what happens to the shadows when they disappear?”  _

_ “Yes.” Answered the voice.  _

_ Jongin swallowed hard, eyes searching around, desperate to find something in the dark, something real to hold on to. “You control this place?” _

_ “If you like…” the voice agreed. “But I’m afraid there is nothing you can do about it now. Kyungsoo’s not going anywhere, you understand, I’ve had him from your first night here, slowly chipping away at his mind — infiltrating his dreams. If you leave, you’re gonna lose him.”  _

_ The words seemed to echo around him, jeering and laughing, getting under his skin, until: “No, I won’t.” Jongin shook his head, hands curling into fists as new found anger entered his system, “I won’t lose him. And we won’t stay here.”  _

_ In the distance he began to see something, a glimmer of hope — a flicker of light. Bright, and white, and as pure as he remembered it from the first night. A smile spread across his face, body suddenly light with giddiness. He reached out, scrambling around in the darkness until he came into contact with a hand. It was soft, but calloused and unmistakably Kyungsoo’s. He gripped on hard, pulling him to his feet, and turning in the direction of the light. “Now,” he cleared his throat, pleased by the fact his voice didn’t waver or crack as he spoke, “if it’s alright with you, I think we’ll be on our way.”  _

_ He gave no time for the voice in the dark to reply, fixing his eyes on the light as a beam entered the shadows, illuminating everything and bringing the void crashing down. _

_ *** _

Snapping his eyes open, Jongin came face to face with Kyungsoo. The other man was blinking up at him with an expression of confusion. Confusion that quickly transformed into happiness, a smile splitting his face as he reached out to once again trail his hands over Jongin, “You did it,” He breathed, pushing himself up until their lips could meet. 

“I did.” Jongin panted, once they’d pulled apart, heart racing as he gazed down at the other man. 

“Come on love birds, we don’t have time for this right now!” Baekhyun called from just behind them, skidding to a stop by their side and grasping them both by the arm, “Save it for the other side, yeah.” He bargained. 

As Jongin looked up to thank him, he was once again met with the blinding figure of light, Baekhyun’s glowing form seeming brighter than ever. He was grinning at them, eyes sparkling with unshed tears as he pulled them in for a hurried hug, “Let's go home.” He whispered, dragging them up from the floor and pushing them easily through the ring of shadows. 

The spirits seemed to part for them now, scuttling away from Baekhyun’s light like spiders, as the group of three forced themselves through the station doors and out onto the platform. 

“The train!” Baekhyun cried, eyes widening as they landed on the tracks, “It’s already here.” True to his word, the train was in fact there. It stood long and proud, surrounded by an otherworldly glow as steam cascaded down around it, blanketing the station in a ghostly vale of white. They were so close now, less than a few meters away from their destination, eyes set on the prize at the end of the race. 

However, as with everything in this realm: nothing was ever that simple and, just as they were about to rush onto the train, Baekhyun stopped. His body seemed to hit a wall, feet rooting themselves to the ground as both Kyungsoo and Jongin collided with him: “What's happened?” Jongin cried, grabbing hold of Baekhyun’s arm and pulling with all his force, still, the other man didn’t move. 

“I can’t go any further,” he stated, voice high and panic ridden. 

“What do you mean?” Kyungsoo questioned as he too pulled desperately at their friend's arm, begging him to move, “We’re so close, I’m not letting you give up here.” 

“I can’t!” He said again, voice notably angry this time. As he spoke, his light seemed to dwindle, body once again fading to the transparent state from the day before. Baekhyun raised a shaking hand out in front of him, studying it with a sense of understanding, as if he was remembering something from a long time ago. “That's right,” he mumbled, “I didn’t… make it out.” His voice was quiet now, forcing Jongin and Kyungsoo to really strain to hear over the sound of the train. 

“Didn’t make it out? Out of what?” Jongin practically yelled, attempting to make sense of what Baekhyun had just said. 

“The spirits,” Baekhyun sighed, “I didn’t make it out of the spirits all that time ago, when I began to glow.” He explained, “They got me. I didn’t make it.” He looked up, gazing around as the shadows once again began to close in, “I’m just another one of them.” 

Jongin felt his stomach drop, mouth gaping as he searched for something to say, it felt as if the realm around them was crashing down, Baekhyun words a heavy cloud over the once bright, hopeful feeling that had been steadily growing inside the group. 

Thankfully, at that moment, Kyungsoo began to speak, his steady voice ringing through the station right when they needed it most: “No, you’re not like them, Baekhyun. Can’t you see?” He exclaimed, shaking Baekhyun’s shoulders, “You’re not a shadow, you never were a shadow. You were light. And as long as we're here, you still have a chance.” with one hand, he tightened his hold on Jongin, the other still gripping onto Baekhyun’s shoulder, “Neither of us are gonna leave here without you.” 

For a moment, Baekhyun looked as if he wanted to believe him, his mind practically screaming to take a chance in a near stranger and trust the two of them to get him out of there alive. However, something made him stop. Whether it was the spirits that continued to close in, the time they had to get off of the platform narrowing, or the fact that he still couldn’t move any closer to the train, Jongin would never know, as the next thing he registered, Baekhyun was smiling at them both, yelling out a: “If you see Chanyeol, tell him I love him.” Before he was pushing them away, and into the open train carriage. 

“Baekhyun!” They cried in unison, hands scrabbling for their friend as they desperately tried to pull him with them, and onto the train. He seemed to slip between their fingers like smoke, curling just out of reach as the light of the train engulfed them completely. 

There was a terrible screech of the train doors closing, an ear splitting whistle sounding and then — Jongin woke up.

***

He sat up with a gasp. Train, giving an unnaturally violent  _ jolt _ as it exited a tunnel. The lights flickered. Each empty car plunging into pitch black shadow, before resuming its usual artificial brightness.

Rudely awoken by the shock, Jongin snapped to attention. Sudden buzz of adrenaline forcing him out of the blanket of sleep and into reality, as his eyes scanned around the aisle. 

By the looks of things, he was the only person left on the train. 

_ Well _ … him, and the man from before — Kyungsoo — who, as Jongin looked in his direction, stirred awake, twisting in his seat while his lashes fluttered. His eyes blinked open. Face reflecting the same disorientation that Jongin himself was feeling.

A strange wave of emotion washed over him at the sight, a warmth too strong to be associated with a near stranger, heart thumping a little harder in his chest, as a pair of warm round eyes locked onto his. They shared a look. Lights from the passing suburbs framing their faces in a way that would have been beautiful, if the two of them weren’t completely exhausted.

A moment passed, neither of them making a move to say or do anything. Eyes continuing to stare, fluttering tiredly, as if trying to recall a long lost memory. 

Searching for a distraction, Jongin settled on checking his watch; eyes glancing down at the exact moment 00:29, ticked over to 00:30.  _ Good _ , he thought, his stop should be coming up soon. 

Deciding that there was no point trying to sleep again, he busied himself with staring ahead. Eyes unconsciously tracing over the man in front of him, while he tried to recall the dream he had been having. There was something familiar surrounding them, as if he had missed something, or forgotten something during the last thirty minutes of travel. 

Across from him, Kyungsoo too, was watching. Same expression of perplexion in place, forehead furrowed, eyes still tired. 

There were words on the tip of Jongin’s tongue, as if he knew there was something he needed to say, but had no idea of how to actually say it. Lost, in the foggy state of dream land. So, instead, he stayed quiet. And so did kyungsoo. The two of them blinking at each other once more, before reluctantly looking away. 

Eventually, after what felt like a lifetime, the train came to a gradual stop, the platform coming into view as the doors slid open. He frowned, as if he wasn’t expecting that — as if he was waiting for something else to happen before shaking his head and standing himself up. 

On the other side of the train, Kyungsoo did the same thing. Grabbing his bag as he headed towards the door, “After you,” he mumbled, offering a kind smile as he waited for Jongin to move. 

“Thank you,” Jongin murmured back, a smile of his own flitting onto his face as he stepped from the train and onto the concrete, the familiar station staring back. 

Together they stood, side by side on the platform watching as the train pulled out of the station, and moved quickly away. A new kind of silence settled between them. Lingering stares conveying words that had never been spoken, memories that couldn’t quite be placed. 

With the ache in his bones returning, Jongin gave one last polite smile in Kyungsoo’s direction, before heading towards the exit. He didn’t check to see if Kyungsoo was watching, didn’t wait to see if he’d return the gesture. Turning his back on the station, the platform, and the man standing on it. 

After all, it wasn’t as if they knew each other.


	6. Epilogue: The Next Day

Friday Morning rolled round quickly. Bringing with it bright, almost spring like skies, and an energetic morning chorus. There were rays of sunlight filtering through Jongin’s blinds, leaving behind a pleasant warmth wherever it fell across his sleeping form. 

All was still, only the bustle of the outside world disturbing the serene quiet of his bedroom. Jongin, deep in slumber as he caught up on the hours of beauty sleep that he had missed by working late, didn’t even stir. Dead to the world, other than the occasional snore that left his open mouth. 

The clock on his bedside table ticked over to eight a.m., a loud beeping sound erupting from its speakers and metaphorically shaking him awake. 

The sudden noise sent a jolt of adrenaline shooting through his system. He sat bolt upright, hands grasping out in front of him as if he were reaching out for something: “Kyungsoo!” He heard his voice cry — painful and desperate, breath coming out hard and fast as his eyes focused on the usual sight of his bedroom. He looked around, running a hand through his hair and trying to calm his erratic heart beat, as he attempted to make sense of his screwed up emotions.

Everything was normal. There was nothing to panic about, no danger, definitely no Kyungsoo… yet, for some unknown reason, he had woken up in a cold sweat, chest heaving as his mind gripped onto dream-like images of the other man. 

He shook his head, taking one last deep, steadying breath, before dragging himself out of bed. As it was, work wouldn’t wait just because he’d had a long day… no, in fact, because of the meeting they had spent so long planning the day before, this day was shaping up to be an even longer shift than the day before. 

Showering, dressing and eating in quick succession, it wasn’t long before Jongin was leaving the sanctuary of his apartment and making his way quickly towards the train station. It was warm, for a late January morning, and he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief as he basked in the gentle heat, tight muscles relaxing as he stood in his usual spot on the platform. 

The station was crowded — it was always crowded at this time of the day. What felt like hundreds of morning commuters filling themselves onto the already busy platform as they waited for the train to the city. And Jongin, as he stared straight ahead, trying to avoid eye contact with the people on the other side of the tracks, couldn’t help but wonder if Kyungsoo was also there, hidden somewhere among the crowd, waiting to start his job as a security guard for the day… He frowned the moment this thought left his head, expression puzzling. From what he remembered, Kyungsoo and him had never once discussed work in their short, less than five minute conversation… yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that they had.

Biting hard onto his lip, and pushing the thought out of his mind, Jongin continued to stare ahead. After his less-than-normal wake up, he’d been feeling a little odd, thoughts of the other man lingering in his mind as if they held some kind of higher meaning. A fleeting idea, a hazy memory… a dream, that he wanted to remember. He tried to ignore it. Seoul was a big city, the chance he’d ever see Kyungsoo again was already slim — there was no point holding onto something that he couldn’t even explain. 

The train arrived, and the hordes of daily commuters made their way on, before the journey finally began.

***

It was over thirty minutes later, after his morning commute was over and while Jongin was steadily making his way towards his office building, that his day took another unexpected turn. 

He was walking down a main street, following the busy crowd without as much as a single thought about the night before, when something ahead made him look up. Walking towards him, smile bright but hair even brighter, was a man. He was smaller than Jongin, hair unnaturally white and voice obnoxiously loud while he chatted animatedly to the tall man by his side — practically hanging off his arm as he did so. 

The couple looked happy, and in love. A sight that sent a strange sense of longing through Jongin’s body. For some unknown reason, he found himself unable to turn away, even as they neared him; eyes trailing over the couple with a distant feeling of familiarity. 

Just as they passed him by, the shorter man looked away from his partner and up to where Jongin was standing — smile growing even brighter as he caught sight of him. Jongin didn’t know how to react, body halting mid stride and messing up the flow of the people behind him. Much to his dismay, the white haired man seemed to think that was hilarious, loud laugh leaving his lips at the sight. He sent a wink at Jongin, before being swept up in the crowd, leaving him staring after them with a deep frown etched into his forehead. 

Jongin continued walking, mind no longer in the present as he made his way closer to his destination. 

There was just something about that man that he couldn’t place. A feeling… as if they’d met before, or knew each other in some way. The stranger’s reaction only adding to the confusion that was building inside him. He had seemed happy to see Jongin, as if he’d been waiting for this day, hoping even, that their lives would cross paths once more. 

Just as he made it to the entrance of the office, hand outstretched with his staff badge in front of him, his body halted, eyes widening as a realisation hit him like a ton of bricks. “Baekhyun!” He exclaimed, heart racing once again as snippets of memories began to come back to him. Without even thinking, he was turning away from the building, head full of images he couldn’t quite understand as he sprinted away from work and back down the street he had just walked. 

The city was busy, commuters blocking his path as he weaved his way through the disgruntled crowd. Jongin didn’t care. Desperately trying to catch up with the man from his memories and hoping that he hadn’t gone totally insane. 

It didn’t take long for him to catch up to the couple, long legs and slim frame making it easy for him to slip through the business and keep an eye out for the people he was searching for. He caught sight of Baekhyun’s boyfriend first, his height making him hard to miss against the busy street. “Hey,” he called out as he began to near, “wait, I need to talk to you!” The couple stilled, eyes turning towards him and baekhyun’s face lighting up once more, “I’m sorry,” Jongin panted, shaking his head at himself as he inwardly questioned his sanity, “this may sound crazy, and I’m pretty sure it is, but by any chance, do we know each other? Is your name Baekhyun?” He rambled, breathing slowly evening out after his sprint, eyes flitting between both men. 

In front of him, Baekhyun grinned, nodding eagerly: “Yes, it is. And you’re Jongin.” He replied, eyes shining, “I knew it! I knew we’d see each other eventually.” He laughed, pulling the bewildered Jongin in for a hug, “You did it, Jongin. You and Kyungsoo got me out of there, I really thought I was a goner, but you just wouldn’t give up, and somehow, I made it onto the train!” He explained, pulling back and gripping tightly onto Jongin’s arm, “When I woke up, I was back on my way home from the night out, no time had passed at all!” 

“It worked?” Jongin mumbled once Baekhyun had stopped his rambling, smile beginning to form on his own face, as his memories became clear, “So,” he spoke, turning to face the other man, “You must be—”

“Chanyeol,” Chanyeol introduced, “and thank you, for helping him get back to me, I don’t know what I would have done without him for all that time.” He smiled, clapping Jongin on the back before draping his arm over Baekhyun’s shoulder and placing a kiss against his hair. 

“I had hoped to find you sooner,” Baekhyun started talking once again, “I thought that if I could find you, I could warn you… or tell you to look out for me. I guess things don’t work quite that way.” He ended with a shrug, seeming happy just to see Jongin now, despite the amount of time that had passed since his time in the spirit realm. “How long has it been for you?” 

“Uh,” Jongin blinked, so much had happened in that last ten minuets, that he was struggling to keep up, “since last night… I think.” He took a guess, thinking back to the midnight train journey, and trying to piece together just what had happened. “So it wasn’t all a dream…” he mumbled, “The train, the forest, you, Kyungsoo… Kyungsoo!” As the name left his mouth once more, an intense warmth began to form within him — spreading out through his chest and quickening his heart. Kyungsoo: how had he forgotten? The time they’d spent together, the kisses they’d shared, Kyungsoo’s confession. It was all coming back to him now in hot, heavy waves. 

They’d gotten out of there. They had made it. And then, before they could even celebrate, they had forgotten; sitting mere feet away from each other with only the smallest incling of familiarity between them. “We made a promise.” He stated, as if that would solve everything, “I promised that we’d find each other, and I forgot, I forgot about him, crap.” He cursed, running a hand through his hair, as a new found panic entered his system, “I’ve got to go.” And with that, he was turning away. Away from Baekhyun, away from Chanyeol, and away from work — body desperate to move, desperate to find Kyungsoo. 

He only managed to get a few steps away before Baekhyun was calling out again, “Wait!” He cried, leaving Chanyeol’s side in order to dash after him, “Take this,” he pulled out a scrap of paper and a pen from his bag, scribbling rapidly before shoving it into Jongin’s hands, “call me when you find him, I believe he still owes us a home cooked meal!” 

Jongin looked down at the piece of paper, eyes tracing over the phone number. His head snapped up, smile bright and ever so happy, before he was turning away once again. “I will!” He called over his shoulder, pushing his way through the crowd with a new spark of hope. 

***

As it turned out, finding Kyungsoo in the middle of a city, when he had absolutely no idea where to start, was a fairly difficult task. 

He searched for about an hour, running in what felt like circles in an attempt to locate the other. 

In the end, as the realisation that he was seriously late for work washed over him, he gave up for the day. Head hung low, as he trudged his way back to the office. 

The rest of the day went in a bit of a blur. He’d been questioned upon arrival for his lateness, before nevertheless, being sent off to the meeting. It had been long, and tiring, and despite Jongin agreeing to make up the time he had missed that morning, his boss seemed to take pity on him, telling him to head home once his shift had ended, and get some obviously well needed rest. 

Jongin had felt as if he could cry, as he left. Heart aching, as the disappointment of the morning washed over him once again. The possibility of ever finding kyungsoo felt so far away now, as if he had missed his chance, as if he had failed.

He had spent the majority of his lunch break researching the other man, desperate to find his social media, or anything that might give an indication as to where to find him. 

He found nothing. 

His hope fell away, as he questioned whether anything that had taken place over the past day and a bit, had been at all real? Maybe he’d just made it all up? Maybe he was going insane… for all he knew, Baekhyun and Chanyeol had just been figments of his imagination and his journey to a spirit realm had all been in his head. He wouldn’t be surprised, something as unrealistic as that couldn’t actually be real. 

Sighing, he entered the train station once more, eyes cast down as he moved carefully through the throng of rush hour travellers and over to his usual standing point — the very place he’d been standing the night before… the very place him and Kyungsoo had first met. Raising his gaze, he glanced around his immediate vicinity, secretly hoping that the other man would magically materialise right in front of him, greeting him with one of his perfect heart shaped smiles, and reassuring him that he wasn’t in fact going completely mad. 

This of course, didn’t happen. And Jongin was once again left with the bitter taste of disappointment. 

Today, the train arrived right on time: the setting sun bouncing off the windows as it ground to a halt in front of him, doors opening with a grinding hiss. 

Body moving on autopilot, Jongin entered the carriage, edging his way over to an available pole, before holding on. The train was crowded — it was always crowded at this time of the day, and Jongin was very used to standing for the majority of his journey home. 

After five minutes of travel, the train came to a stop, a big group of people leaving, before being replaced by an even larger one. Jongin sighed, squeezing himself into a narrow gap as they set off once again. 

The train moved. The passengers swayed. Jongin zoned out, eyes fixed on the scene outside the window as he successfully avoided all eye contact with the other passengers in the carriage. It was because of this that Jongin, despite knowing the journey well, failed to notice as the train neared a tight bend in the track. He stumbled, body unprepared for any sudden movements and struggling to stay upright as he unintentionally knocked into the side of the person beside him. “Uh, sorry.” He murmured. Turning briefly in the direction he had fallen. 

The person to his side sucked in a sharp breath, voice wavering as they replied: “It’s okay.” They assured; the words spoken in a low, smooth, instantly recognisable voice that had Jongin reeling with a fresh wave of emotion as he finally took in the person he’d knocked into. 

In front of him, Kyungsoo stared back: eyes wide, but smile even wider as he watched Jongin’s own expression light up. “Kyungsoo!” Jongin gasped, heart speeding up as he finally came face to face with the person he was so eager to find. 

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo breathed in return, hand reaching as if to grasp at his arm before he thought better of himself, dropping it back to his side before Jongin could even register a decent reaction. “I remember now, I remember everything.” He said, eyes hopeful as he waited for Jongin to reply. 

Jongin grinned, moving his own hand until it was linked with Kyungsoo’s and giving it a tight squeeze — soft, yet calloused fingers squeezed back, “I remember too.” he nodded, “God Kyungsoo, I thought I’d never see you again, I thought I’d never get a chance to talk to you or kiss you… or tell you that I love you.” He admitted, confessions spilling over his lips without a single regret. “Because I do, I do love you and I wanted to tell you so bad and I couldn’t back then.” 

His rambling stopped when yet another heart shaped smile distracted him. “Well,” Kyungsoo blushed, “you’ll have plenty of time to do all of that now.” he assured, stepping just that little bit closer. 

Deciding that he couldn’t wait any longer, and uncaring of any onlooking eye, Jongin leant forward: “May I?” He questioned, not wishing to overstep any boundaries, now that they were no longer in the spirit realm. 

“Yes.” Kyungsoo whispered, that one ever so simple word making Jongin’s heart sore, as tears of joy sprang to his eyes and Kyungsoo moved to meet him in the middle. They shared a kiss, the press of lips saying more than words ever could — fingers entwined and bodies inching closer, desperate to finally close the distance between them, after everything they’d been through. 

As they pulled apart, Jongin let out a watery laugh, heart pounding as he continued to gaze at Kyungsoo. 

Kyungsoo gazed back, the same emotions reflected on his face as he raised a hand, brushing delicately at a stray tear that had escaped Jongin’s eyes. Neither one of them knew what to do, what to say next. Just happy to be back in each other's presence. 

The train began to slow to a stop, a fresh wave of people pushing on and making the already overcrowded carriage even busier. Kyungsoo looked towards the exit, lips curving into a playful smile before his head was tilting in the direction of the station: “I don’t suppose you’d fancy grabbing a drink this evening, would you? I know a great little place just down the street from here.” He suggested hopefully. 

At his words, Jongin couldn’t help but laugh again, louder this time, head tilting back and smile stretching wide — the distant memory of their first kiss coming back to him. “You know what? I could never say no to that.” He agreed without a second thought, already eager to get to know Kyungsoo all over again. 

After all, they had so much to catch up on. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we’re done!! 
> 
> I had so much fun writing this fic, I really hope you enjoyed it as well!! 
> 
> Thank you to the mods, the prompter and to my beta!! 
> 
> And thank you so much for reading~~ 
> 
> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated <33


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